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PETER     GOTTFREDSON 
The    Compiler 


HISTORY 


OF 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 
IN  UTAH 


ILLUSTRATED 


Copyright  1919 

by 
Peter  Gottfredson 


grraa  of 

SKELTON  PUBLISHING  Co. 
9alt  Cake  Citii 


b  /IS 


In  collecting  and  compiling  this  history  of  In- 
dian depredations  in  Utah,  it  has  been  my  purpose 
to  obtain  my  information  first  handed,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible. I  was  personally  acquainted  with  conditions 
in  Sanpete  and  Sevier  Valleys  during  the  years  1863 
to  1872.  It  fell  to  my  lot  to  be  herd-boy  in  Thistle 
Valley,  which  was  then  a  favorite  haunt  of  the  In- 
dians, and  they  often  told  us  that  we  were  trespassers 
on  their  domain.  In  1865,  when  the  Black  Hawk  war 
broke  out,  I  had  left  Sanpete  to  locate  in  Sevier  Val- 
ley, which  was  then  most  exposed  to  Indian  raids  be- 
cause of  having  been  settled  but  one  year  when  the 
war  broke  out  and  that  valley  afforded  the  handiest 
and  most  convenient  outlets  into  the  Indian  strong- 
hold in  the  mountains  and  country  lying  to  the  east, 
which  was  then  unsettled  by  white  people  and  but 
little  known  to  them. 

I  have  also  made  it  a  point  to  obtain  information 
from  reliable  histories  and  individual  diaries  and 
records,  and  by  interviewing  persons  who  were  ac- 
tually in  the  places  and  took  part  in  the  affairs  as 
recorded.  And  finally  I  obtained  much  information 
from  newspaper  files  and  documents  in  the  Church 
Historian's  Office. 

It  is  half  a  century  and  more  since  the  raids  and 
assaults  recorded  in  this  book  took  place,  most  of  the 
persons  who  took  active  parts  in  the  same  have  re- 
sponded to  the  last  earthly  call,  and  what  information 
we  get  first  handed  must  of  necessity  be  obtained  now 
or  never.  I  have  often  querried;  why  should  those 


4  PREFACE 

Ulllllllllllltlllll Illlllllll I  ill  minimum immiiimi lllltlllllltlllll Hill 

conditions  be  forgotten,  and  why  has  so  little  interest 
been  taken  in  keeping  memorandas  and  records  of 
events  and  conditions  of  those  early  and  trying 
times.  I  have  written  several  times  over  much  of  the 
information  I  have  gathered  in  order  to  make  cor- 
rections and  supply  additional  information.  I  have 
been  more  than  twenty  years  compiling  this  history, 
and  have  not  left  a  stone  unturned  in  my  endeavors 
to  obtain  correct  data  on  all  the  important  events 
which  properly  belong  to  this  history. 

My  aim  has  been  to  give  credit  where  such  was 
due,  but  to  get  in  the  names  of  all  who  took  part  or 
were  enrolled  in  the  different  Militia  Companies 
participating  in  the  Indian  Wars  would  be  too  great 
a  task,  and  yet,  they  are  all  deserving  of  mention. 

It  has  not  been  my  purpose  to  single  out  any 
one  as  a  particular  hero  ahead  of  all  others,  but  to 
record  conditions  and  facts  as  they  existed  and  oc- 
curred. S 

I  sincerely  thank  all  who  have  assisted  me, 
especially  the  Indian  War  Veterans  and  the  Church 
Historians  for  their  willing  and  interested  assist- 
asce.  I  will  make  special  mention  of  Assistant 
Church  Historian  Andrew  Jenson,  who  has  given 
me  important  assistance  in  obtaining  correct  dates 
and  information,  and  preparing  my  manuscript  for 
the  printers,  and  hope  my  little  book  will  fill  an 
important  place  in  the  history  of  our  fair  State. 

— The  Compiler, 


It  has  always  been  the  policy  of  the  Mormon 
people  to  court  the  friendship  of  the  American  In- 
dian and  treat  him  kindly. 

President  Brigham  Young  said,  ''It  is  cheaper 
to  feed  them  than  fight  th^m. ' '  In  the  early  rise  of 
the  Church,  Missionaries  were  sent  out  to  preach  to 
them.  The  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  visited  and  preach- 
ed to  them.  As  early  as  October  1830,  Oliver  Cowdry, 
Parley  P.  Pratt,  Peter  Whittmer,  Jr.  and  Ziba  Peter- 
son were  called  by  revelation  to  preach  the  gospel  to 
the  Lamanites  (Indians).  In  1835  elders  Brigham 
Young,  John  P.  Greene  and  Amos  Orton  were  ap- 
pointed to  preach  the  gospel  to  them  and  when  the 
people  were  driven  from  their  homes  in  Missouri 
and  Illnois  and  wended  their  way  into  the  unknown 
west,  the  various  Indian  tribes  in  Iowa,  Nebraska 
and  on  the  western  plains  received  them  kindly,  as 
a  rule,  believing  they  were  outcasts,  driven  from 
their  homes  and  the  graves  of  their  fore-fathers,  as 
they  themselves  had  been.  In  the  year  1858,  I  with 
my  parents  came  from  Omaha  where  we  had  lived 
for  some  two  years,  was  then  twelve  years  of  age, 

After  spending  one  year  in  Salt  Lake  City,  herd- 
ing cows  in  the  su|mmer  time,  I  with  my  parents 
and  two  brothers  and  one  sister  went  to  Sanpete  and 
were  pioneers  of  Mount  Pleasant,  and  in  the  year 
1864  were  also  pioneers  of  Richfield  in  Sevier 
County. 

The  Indians  at  that  time  were  generally  friendly 
towards  the  settlers,  although,  a  few  years  previous 


INTRODUCTION 


they  had  committed  depredations  upon  the  settle- 
ments in  Utah,  Tooele  and  a  few  other  Counites.  Not 
however  the  whole  Ute  nation,  but  turbulent  spirits 
in  large  numbers  under  the  leadership  of  the  great 
War  Chief  Walker  or  Wah-ker,  (which  means  in  the 
American  language,  yellow,  or  brass.)  and  later  in 
1856,  by  a  renegade  Goshute  Chief  named  Tintic  and 
his  band,  who  claimed  the  country  on  the  west  side 
of  the  Utah  Lake  in  Cedar,  Tintic  and  Skull  Val- 
leys. The  Indians  were  numerous  in  those  days.  I 
was  herd  boy  and  spent  much  of  my  time  with  niy 
companions  at  the  Indian  camps.  I  had  a  companian 
by  the  name  Conderset  Rowe  who  could  talk  the  In- 
dian language  nearly  as  well  as  the  Indians,  it  seem- 
ed that  he  enjoyed  the  companionship  of  the  young 
Indians  as  much  as  he  did  the  whites,  which  drew 
me  into  their  company  more  than  I  otherwise  would 
have  been. 

It  was  the  inherent  nature  of  the  Indian  to  steal, 
and  this  brings  to  my  mind  an  incident  told  of  an  In- 
dian who  brought  a  worn  out  axe  to  a  black  smith  to 
be  fixed,  the  blacksmith  said,  I  can't  fix  it,  it  hasn't 
any  steel  in  it. ' '  Oh  yes,  said  the  Indian,  it  is  all  steel, 
me  steal  it  last  night." 

Indians  could  not  be  depended  upon  as  to  their 
lasting  friendship,  mostly  on  account  of  their  thiev- 
ing propensity,  so  it  was  necessary  for  the  settlers 
to  build  forts  for  protection.  At  Mount  Pleasant  a 
fort  was  built  the  first  summer,  of  large  sand  stones 
that  were  dug  out  of  the  ground,  and  picked  up  near 
the  site,  it  was  twenty  six  rods  square,  the  walls 
were  four  feet  thick  at  the  bottom  eighteen  inches 
on  top  and  twelve  feet  high,  with  rooms  built  against 
the  wall  sixteen  feet  square,  with  a  port  hole  through 


INTRODUCTION 


fort  wall  in  middle  of  each  room,  about  seven  feet 
from  the  ground,  the  holes  were  about  two  feet  wide 
inside,  four  inches  on  outside  and  eighteen  inches 
high,  there  were  heavy  double  wooden  gates  in  the 
middle  of  north  and  south  sides  of  the  fort,  and  there 
were  some  rows  of  houses  in  the  inside.  The  creek 
ran  through  the  fort  from  east  to  west.  Similar 
forts  were  built  in  most  all  the  new  settlements. 

As  the  settlements  became  more  populous,  towns 
were  surveyed  with  blocks  generally  twenty  six  rods 
square  with  six  rod  streets  which  made  100  blocks 
to  a  square  mile,  or  section  of  land. 


CONTENTS 

Chapter  I. 

1847-1864^Pioneers  First  Winter  in  Utah.  By  Solomon 

F.  Kimball  and  John  R.  Young 15 

1849— First  Battle  with  Indians  in  Utah,  at  Battle 

Creek 18 

Extract  from  the  journal  of  Judge  George  W.  Bean....     20 

Settling  of  Utah  Valley,  copied  from  Whitney's 

History  of  Utah.    Trouble  at  Fort  Utah  (Provo) 24 

The  First  Indian  War 25 

1850— Battle  at  Fort  Utah 28 

Chief  Walker  Plans  to  Massacre  the  People 35 

1851— Copied  from   Tullidge's  Histories,  Vol.   II, 

Page  83 37 

Death  of  Squash-Head 42 

1853 — Cause  and  Origin  of  the  Walker  War,  by  Geo. 

McKenzie 43 

Further  Particulars  of  the  Walker  War  by 

John  W.  Berry 47 

The  Walker  War  Continued,  Treachery  of  the  Indians 

From  Whitney's  History  of  Utah,  Vol.  I,  page  514 53 

Colonel  George  A.  Smith  Given  Command  of  the 

Militia 55 

Attack  on  Willow  Creek,  (Mona).     Issac  Duff  in 

Wounded 56 

At  Parley's  Park,  Two  Men  Killed,  One  Wounded....     56 
William  Hatton  Killed  While  Standing  Guard  at 

Fillmore 59 

Col.  Markham's  Brush  at  Goshen.     C.  B.  Hancock 

Wounded : 59 

The  Gunnison  Massacre,  by  J.  F.  Gibbs 59 

Four  Men  Killed  at  Uintah  Springs,  Sanpete  County     74 
Skirmish  at  Nephi,  Juab  County.    Eight  Indians 

Killed 75 

Wm.  Mills  and  John  E.  Warner  Killed  at  Manti 76 

Attack  at  Santaquin,  Utah  County,  Fernee  L.  Tindrell 

Killed 78 

Chase's  Sawmill  in  Sanpete  Count}7  Burned  by 

Indians 82 

1854— The  Allred  Settlement,  (Spring  City)  Burned 


CONTENTS  9 

imiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiimifiiiiitiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiini 


by    Indians 83 

Treaty  With  Chief  Walker  and  Kanosh.    End  of 

Ute  War 83 

William  and  Warren  Weeks  Killed  in  Cedar  Valley....  83 
1855 — Chief  Walker  Died  at  Meadow  Creek,  Millard 

County 84 

The  Elk  Mountain  Mission  and  Abandonment 84 

The  Salmon  River  Mission 89 

1857 — The  Salmon  River  Mission  Abandoned. 

Another  Account 97 

1856— The  Tintic  War 100 

A  Posse  Went  in  Pursuit  of  Chief  Tintic  and  Band....  101 
From  Tullidge's  History,  Vol.  3,  page  157,  by 

John  Banks 104 

1858 — Four  persons  massacred  in  Salt  Creek  Canyon..  107 
The  Bodies  of  Josiah  Call  and  Samuel  Brown  found 

Murdered  at  Chicken  Creek,  Juab  Co 108 

1860 — Murder  of  a  Peaceable  Indian  by  Officers  from 

Camp  Floyd 109 

Mail  Station  at  Deep  Creek  Attacked,  One  Man  Shot  110 
Attack  on  Smithfield,  John  Reed  and  Ira  Merrill 

Killed 110 

1863 — Colonel  Conner's  Command  Starts,  for  Bear 

River Ill 

Colonel  Connor's  Battle  at  Bear  River 112 

Attack  on  a  Platoon  of  Soldiers  at  Pleasant  Grove....  115 
Indian  Outrage  in  Boxelder  County,  Win.  Thorp 

Killed 118 

Stage  Attacked  in  Cedar  Valley,  Two  Men  Killed 119 

Treaty  at  Brigham  City,  with  Shoshone  Indians 120 

Statement  by  N.  O.  Anderson  of  Ephraim 120 

Herdsman  C.  C.  Rowe  in  Thistle  Valley 121 

1864 — Herdsmen  Jens  Gottfredson  and  Ole  Jensen  in 

Thistle  Valley.    (Peter  Gottfredson) 124 

Chapter  II. 

1865— The  Black  Hawk  War.    Treaty  at  Manti.    The 

Lowry  Affair 129 

P.  Ludvigson,  Barney  Ward  and  J.  P.  Anderson  killed  130 
Col.  Allred  with  84  Men  Defeated  in  Salina  Canyon....  132 
Statement  of  Gotlieb  Enz....  .  138 


11  CONTENTS 

iitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii 

Walter  Jones  of  Monroe  Seriously  Wounded 140 

Jens  Larsen  a  Sheep  Herder  Killed  Near  Fairview....  140 
John  Given,  Wife  and  Four  Children  Murdered  in 

Thistle  Valley 140 

David  H.  Jones  Killed  Near  Fairview 144 

Indians  Killed  at  Circleville 144 

About  150  Head  of  Stock  Stolen  from  Richfield 147 

Government  Aid  Refused.  The  Militia  Ordered  Out  150 
Treaty  by  Col.  0.  H.  Irish  at  Spanish  Fork 

Reservation 151 

Meeting  With  the  Indians 154 

Indian  Etiquette 155 

1865— President  Young  and  Party  Left  G.  S.  L.  City 

for  Sanpete 156 

R.  Gillispie  and  A.  Robinson  Killed  South  of  Salina....  156 
Gen.  W.  S.  Snow  Took  Command  of  the  Sanpete 

Militia 159 

Gen.  Snow  Start  After  the  Indians,  the  Squaw  Fight 

in  Grass  Valley,  Marine  York  Wounded  159 

Gen.  Snow  and  Command  Start  to  Green  River 161 

Attack  on  Glenwood,  Merritt  Staly  Wounded 163 

Minute  Companies  Ordered  Away  From  Home 166 

Battle  at  Red  Lake,  Snow,  Taylor  and  Franson 

Wounded 167 

Attack  on  Ephraim,  Seven  Settlers  Killed,  Two 

Wounded 169 

Raid  on  Circleville,  Four  Persons  Killed 176 

1866— Dr.  J.  M.  Whitmore  and  R.  Mclntyre  Killed  at 

at  Pipe  Springs.     Bodies  Recovered, 

Seven  Indians  Killed 179 

Gen.  Snow  Arrests  a  Camp  of  Indians  at  Nephi 181 

Killing  of  Joseph  and  Robert  Berry  and  Wife 181 

Removal  from  Long  Valley,  Report  of  Mrs.  J.  D.  L. 

Pierce 183 

Raid  on  Salina,  Three  Teams  Attacked,  Cow  Herd 

Taken,  Herder  Killed 185 

Indians  at  Manti  Broke  Jail,  3  Indians  Killed,  5 

Escape 187 

Chief  Sanpitch  Killed  near  Moroni,  Sanpete  County..  188 
Town  of  Salina  Vacated  After  Losing  Their  Stock.—  189 
Organizing  of  the  Panguitch  Militia,  Skirmish  at  Fort 


CONTENTS  10 


Sanford,  John  Butler  Wounded 190 

Ambuscade  at  Marysvale,  A.  Lewis  and  C.  Christensen 

Killed 193 

Thomas  Jones  Killed  and  Wm.  Avery  Wounded  at 

Fairview 

Pres.  Young  Advises  the  People  to  Move  Together  196 

Col.  Dodge  Sends  Word  to  Call  Out  the  Militia 197 

Kimball's  and  Conover's  Commands  Arrive  at  Manti  199 
Christian  Larsen,  a  Herder  Killed  on  Spanish  Fork 

Bench 199 

Old  Father  J.  E.  Ivie  and  Henry  Wright  Killed  at 

Scipio !;.  201 

Gen.  Pace's  Battle  at  Gravelly  Ford,  Wm.  Tunbridge 

Wounded 201 

A  Race  for  Life 204 

Gen.  Wells  and  Militia  Leave  Salt  Lake  City  for 

Sanpete,  Gen.  Wells  Takes  Command  of 

the  Militia  in  Sanpete 205 

Captain  A.  P.  Dewey  was  ordered  to  establish  a  post 

in   Thistle   Valley 207 

Battle  in  Thistle  Valley 208 

Reported  by  Joel  Andrew  Johnson  one  of  Major 

duff's   Men . 212 

Battle  in  Diamond  Fork,  Edmundson  and  Dimick 

Killed  

Copied  from  History  of  Springville 213 

Circleville  in  Piute  County  Abandoned 220 

Captain  Bigler  With  60  Men  Arrive  in  Mount 

Pleasant  

Indians  Steal  150  Head  of  Cattle  Near  Ephraim 220 

A   Cavalry   Company   Leave   St.   George.     Elijah 

Everett   Killed 

History  of  St.  George  Stake 221 

Muster  Roll  of  Indian  Expedition  to  Reach  Junction 

of  Green  and  Grand  Rivers 225 

An  Extract  from  James  M.  Peterson's  Diary 226 

Death  of  Black  Hawk 226 

A  Letter  from  William  Probert 227 

Attack  on  the  J.  P.  Lee  Ranch  Near  Beaver.    Joseph 

Lillywhite  Wounded 229 

Account  of  the  War  in  Wasatch  County  and 


12  CONTENTS 


Vicinity   245 

Account  of  the  War  in  Wasatch  County  Continued  254 
Col.  Pierce  and  Andrews  Engage  Indians  Near  St. 

George   255 

Raid  on  Pine  Valley,  Indians  Overtaken  Eleven 

Killed  256 

J.  P.  Petersen,  Wife  and  Mary  Smith  Killed  near 

Glenwood 

A  Skirmish  at  Glenwood,  Stock  Recovered 257 

Sevier,  Piute  and  Parts  of  Other  Counties  Vacated....  261 
Gen.  R.  T.  Burton  and  Command  Ordered  to  Sanpete  261 
Capt.  Wm.  L.  Binder's  Infantry  Left  Salt  Lake  City 

for  Sanpete  

Adam  Paul  of  Capt.  Miles  Cavalry  Company 

Wounded  262 

Attack  on  Fountain  Green  Cowherd.     Louis  Lund 

Killed    262 

Major  Vance  and  Sgt.  Houtz  Killed  at  Twelve  Mile 

Creek   267 

The  Paraoonah  Range  Swept  by  Indians 268 

Raid  on  the  Stock  at  Little  Creek,  Beaver  County....  268 
Wm.  J.  Allred  Recovers  His  Horses,  Kills  Two 

Indians    269 

Spring  City  Fight,  J.  Meeks  and  A.  Johnson  Killed....  270 

Raid  on  Spring  City  (by  H.  S.  Ivie) 272 

John  Hay  Killed  near  Warm  Creek  While  on  Guard  275 

Gen.  Wells  Issue  Orders  for  a  General  Muster 276 

Raid  on  Beaver  200  Head  of  Stock  Stolen 278 

Girl  Stolen  at  Wellsville,  Never  Recovered 281 

Battle  at  Rocky  Ford,  Justesen  and  Wilson  Killed....  281 

Raid  on  Scipio,  Fifteen  Head  of  Horses  Stolen 284 

Indians  Stop  Col.  Ivie  in  Salt  Creek  Canyon 284 

Indian   Gratitude   285 

Skirmish  at  Ephraim,  Battle  at  Rock  Lake 287 

Col.  Heath's  Treaty  with  Indians  in  Strawberry 

Valley    289 

Navajoes  Raid  Harrisburg  Some  Stock  Stolen 290 

Franklin  Benjamin  Woolley  Killed  near  Fort 

Mohava   " 290 

Raid  on  Kane  County,  Three  Friendly  Indians 

Killed  .  ..  291 


CONTENTS  13 


Raid  on  Kanarra,  Many  Horses  Stolen,  Some 

Recovered   291 

Niels  Heizelt  Killed  at  Twelve  Mile  Creek 293 

Indian  Outrage  at  Manti,  Sanpete  County 295 

Indian  Outrage  at  Manti,  Sanpete   County 295 

Chief  Tabby  Sends  Word  He   Can  No  Longer  Control 

His  Indians 296 

Col.  Ivie  Sends  Dispatch  to  General  Wells 297 

Assault  Upon  Jeremiah  D.  Page  at  Mount  Pleasant....  297 

Information  on  Assault  by  Bishop  Seely 298 

Gen.  Morrow  Makes  Treaty  at  Springville 302 

Treaty  Concluded  at  Mount  Pleasant 303 

Attack   on   Fairview   Cow   Herd.     Nathan   Stewart 

Killed  303 

Horses  Stolen  From  Richfield  and  Glenwood 303 

Horses  Stolen  from  Fountain  Green  (The  Pursuit)....  305 
Dan.  Miller  killed  and  Son  Wound  ad  Near  Spring 

City    305 

General  Morrow's  Recommendation  to  Indian  Agent 

Dodge   

Indians   go   to   Washington   to   Interview   President 

Grant   312 

Indian  Tradition  and  legends  By  D.  B.  Huntington  314 

Ute  and  Piute  Traditions  by  H.  J.  Gottrfedson 321 

An  exploring  Trip  and  Treaties  with  Indians  in 

Grass   Valley   and   Vicinity,   by  A.   K. 

Thurber,  G.  W.  Bean  and  others 324 

Three  Navajo  Indian  Killed  in  Grass  Valely 322 

Utah  Indian  War  Veterans  Organize  at  Springville....  322 
Reunion  at  Manti,  John  Lowry  States  Cause  of 

Black  Hawk  War 335 

Grass  Valley  Indians  Do  Not  Want  to  Go  to  the 

Uintah    Reservation 348 

Grass  Valley  Indians  in  1914 341 

Kanosh  Koosharem  Indians  Bear  Dance 343 

Bill  Awarding  Medals  to  Indian  War  Veterans 345 

Legislature  Appropriate  $50,000.00  to  Indian  War 

Veterans  348 

Legislature  Appropriate  $25,000.00  to  Indian  War 

Veterans    348 

The  Federal  Pension  Bill,  Granting  Pensions  to  Indian 

War   Veterans....  ..  350 


CHAPTER  I. 
J847— 1864 

FROM  THRILLING  EXPERIENCES, 
By  Solomon  F.  Kimball. 

The  first  winter  spent  by  the  pioneers  in  Salt 
Lake  Valley  was  a  quiet  one.  The  surrounding 
tribes  of  Indians  were  on  their  good  behavior,  as 
far  as  the  new  comers  were  concerned,  although 
at  war  with  each  other.  The  victorious  parties  dur- 
ing such  wars  scalped  all  the  warriors  whom  they 
captured  or  killed.  Their  custom  was  to  hang  these 
scalps  on  their  scalp-poles,  which  they  took  great 
pride  in  exhibitng.  The  brave  that  could  show  the 
greatest  number  was  considered  the  greatest  Indian 
of  them  all. 

The  young  women  and  children  were  held  as 
slaves,  and  sometimes  treated  in  the  most  cruel  man- 
ner. The  red  men  were  not  long  in  learning  that 
the  Saints  were  a  tender-hearted  people,  and  could 
not  witness  such  scenes  without  sympathizing  to  the 
uttermost  with  those  who  were  being  tortured. 
Among  the  first  accounts  given  by  the  pioneers  of 
this  barbaric  treatment  is  one  found  in  Mary  Ellen 
Kimball 's  journal  of  1847,  of  which  the  following  is 
a  brief  extract: 

A  number  of  Indians  were  camped  near  the  Hot 
Springs,  north  of  the  Fort.  They  had  with  them  a 
little  girl  who  had  been  captured  from  another  tribe, 
and  they  offered  to  trade  her  for  a  rifle.  Fire-arms 
were  scarce  with  the  pioneers,  and  besides  it  was 
not  good  policy  to  arm  these  cruel  savages  who  might 
at  any  time  turn  on  those  who  had  armed  them.  The 


16  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

iiMiiiiiiiiniimiimi  minim inn Illllilil llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllMMIllllilill* 

Indians  finally  began  to  torture  the  little  one,  at  the 
same  time  declaring  that  they  would  kill  her,  unless 
the  rifle  was  forthcoming.  One  of  our  pioneer  boys, 
Charles  Decker,  whose  heart  was  wrung  by  witness- 
ing such  cruelty,  very  reluctantly  parted  with  his 
only  gun.  He  took  the  little  girl  home,  and  gave  her 
to  his  sister,  Clara  D.  Young.  They  named  her  Sally, 
and  she  lived  in  the  family  of  President  Brigham 
Young  until  she  had  grown  to  womanhood.  After- 
wards she  married  a  noble  and  friendly  Pauvante 
chief  named  Kanosh.  She  made  him  a  good  wife 
and  did  much  towards  civilizing  him.  He  joined  the 
11  Mormon"  Church  and  died  a  faithful  Latter-day 
Saint.  That  winter  several  pappooses  were  pur- 
chased under  similar  circcumstances. 

John  R.  Young  referring  to  the  same  incident 
relates  the  following : 

Elder  John  R.  Young  writes :  ' '  Soon  after  we 
moved  on  to  our  city  lot  in  the  fall  of  1847,  a  band 
of  Indians  camped  near  us.  Early  one  morning  we 
were  excited  at  hearing  their  shrill,  blood  curdling 
war  whoop,  mingled  with  occasionally  sharp  cries  of 
pain.  Father  sent  me  to  the  fort  for  help.  Charley 
Decker  and  Barney  Ward  (the  interpreter)  and 
others  hurried  to  the  camp. 

It  was  Wanship's  band.  Some  of  his  braves 
had  just  returned  from  the  war  path.  In  a  fight 
with  " Little  Wolf's"  band,  they  lost  two  men,  but 
had  succeeded  in  taking  two  girls  prisoners.  One 
of  these  they  had  killed  and  were  torturing  the  other. 
To  save  her  life  Charley  Decker  bought  her  and  took 
her  to  our  house  to  be  washed  and  clothed. 

She  was  the  saddest  looking  piece  of  humanity 
I  have  ever  seen.  They  had  shingled  her  head  with 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  17 

butcher  knives  and  fire  brands.  All  the  fleshy  parts 
of  her  body,  legs  and  arms  had  been  hacked  with 
knives,  then  fire  brands  had  been  stuck  into  the 
wounds.  She  was  gaunt  with  hunger  and  smeared 
from  head  to  foot  with  blood  and  ashes. 

After  being  scrubbed  and  clothed,  she  was  given 
to  Pres.  Brigham  Young  and  became  as  one  of  his 
family.  They  named  her  Sally,  and  her  memory  has 
ben  perpetuated  by  the  "Courtship  of  Kanosh,  a 
Pioneer  Indian  Love  Story,"  written  by  my  gifted 
cousin,  Susa  Young  Gates. 

But  Susa  gave  us  only  the  courtship,  while  the 
ending  of  Sally's  life,  as  told  to  me  by  a  man  from 
Kanosh,  was  as  tragic  as  her  childhood  days  had 
been  thrilling.  After  she  married  Kanosh,  several 
years  of  her  life  passed  pleasantly  in  the  white  man's 
house  which  he  built  for  her.  Then  her  Indian  hus- 
band took  to  himself  another  wife,  who  became  jeal- 
ous of  Sally  and  perhaps  hated  her  also  for  her 
white  man's  ways. 

One  day  when  they  were  in  a  secluded  place  dig- 
ging segoes,  the  new  wife  murdered  Sally  and  buried 
the  body  in  a  gully. 

When  Kanosh  missed  her,  he  took  her  track  and 
followed  it  as  faithfully  as  a  blood  hound  could  have 
done,  and  was  not  long  in  finding  the  grave.  In  his 
grief  he  seized  the  murderess  and  would  have  burned 
her  at  the  stake  but  white  men  interfered. 

In  due  time  the  Indian  woman  confessed  her 
guilt  and,  in  harmony  with  Indian  justice,  offered  to 
expiate  her  crime  by  starving  herself  to  death. 

The  offer  was  accepted,  and  on  a  lone  hill  in 
sight  of  the  village,  a  "wick-i-up"  was  constructed 
of  dry  timber.  Taking  a  jug  of  water,  the  woman 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


walked  silently  toward  her  living  grave.  Like  the 
rejected  swan,  alone,  unloved,  in  low  tones  she  sang 
her  own  sad  requiem,  until  her  voice  was  hushed  in 
death.  One  night  when  the  evening  beacon  fire  was 
not  seen  by  the  villagers,  a  runner  was  dispatched 
to  fire  the  wick-i-up  and  retribution  was  complete. 

Sally's  funeral  had  taken  place  only  a  few  days 
previous.  Over  a  hundred  vehicles  followed  the  re- 
mains to  its  last  resting  place,  and  beautiful  floral 
wreaths  covered  the  casket ;  for  Sally  had  been  wide- 
ly loved  among  the  white  settlers  for  her  gentle  ways. 
— Young's  Manuscript  page  45,  copied  at  Historian's 
Office  by  H.  H.  Jenson. 

1849.    FEB.  28th,  FIRST  BATTLE  WITH  INDIANS  IN 
UTAH,  AT  BATTLE  CREEK. 

Copied  from  records  in  the  L.  D.  S.  Historian's 

Office. 

A  report  having  reached  Salt  Lake  City  that 
some  renegade  Indians  were  molesting  the  settlers, 
a  company  of  thirty  or  forty  men  under  Captain 
John  Scott  left  Salt  Lake  City  Feb.  28,  1849,  in  pur- 
suit of  some  Indians  who  had  been  stealing  and  kill- 
ing cattle  and  running  off  horses  from  Willow  Creek 
(Draper)  and  other  places.  The  company  proceeded 
to  Utah  Valley  and  met  Little  Chief  and  his  band  of 
Timpanogos  Utes  on  the  Provo  River  who  told  the 
military  boys  where  the  thieving  Indians  were  en- 
camped. The  company  left-thfi_Provo  river  in  the 
night,  taking  with  them  as  guide  Little  Chief's  son 
who  led  them  over  the  Provo  Bench  toward  the  creek 
(Battle  Creek)  north  of  the  base  of  the  mountains, 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


whence  from  an  eminence  they  discovered  the  fires 
of  the  Indians  who  were  encamped  on  the  creek  which 
ran  in  the  midst  of  willows~and  dense  brush-wood  in 
a  deep  ravine.  The  company  was  divided  into  four 
smaller  bodies  and  posted  north,  south,  east  and  west 
of  the  Indians,  who,  when  they  awoke  in  the  morn- 
ing, found  themselves  besieged.  The  savages  packed 
up  their  baggage  and  ineffectually  tried  every  way  to 
escape.  They  then  commenced  to  fight  by  shooting 
arrows  and  firing  guns.  This  small  predatory  band 
of  Indians  consisted  of  two  lodges  under  Kone  and 
Blue-Shirt  and  numbered  seventeen  souls  in  all, 
including  four  men.  The  squaws  and  children  were 
secured  and  fed  and  warmed.  After  a  desultory 
fight  of  three  or  four  hours,  the  four  men  who  took 
every  advantage  of  the  brush  for  cover  were  killed. 
None  of  the  brethern  were  injured.  The  skins  of 
fifteen  cattle,  which  the  Indians  had  killed  were 
found  near  by.  During  the  fight  Stick-in-the-Head 
and  his  band  of  Timpanogos  Utes  came  up  ready  for 
a  fight  and  took  position  on  an  elevation,  whence 
they  vainly  called  to  the  besieged  and  urged  them  to 
come  that  way.  The  company  returned  to  Great 
Salt  Lake  City  March  6th.  The  squaws  and  child- 
ren of  the  slain  were  taken  to  the  City,  and  after 
being  fed  went  to  their  friends  among  the  other  In- 
dians. From  this  circumstance  the  creek  on  which 
the  fight  took  place  was  named  Battle  Creek.  The 
fight  referred  to  was  the  first  battle  which  the  ' '  Mor- 
mon" Pioneers  fought  with  the  Indians  in  the  Ter- 
ritory of  Utah. 
— From  Journal  History  at  the  Historian's  Office. 


20  INDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS 

EXTEACT  FROM  THE  JOURNAL  OF  JUDGE 

GEORGE  W.  BEAN. 
(Almost  a  life-long  Indian  interpreter.) 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1849  a  move  was  made  to 
commence  a  settlement  at  Provo,  among  the  power- 
ful tribe  of  Timpanodes,  (Timpano gos]  John  S.  and 
Isaac  Higbee  and  Alex  Williams  gathered  up  a  com- 
pany of  about  thirty  families,  James  Bean  among  the 
rest.  They  reached  the  river  Provo  the  1st  of  April. 
About  three  miles  out  they  were  met  by  a  young 
brave  Angatewats  by  name,  who  placed  himself  on 
horseback  across  the  trail  in  front  of  the  foremost 
wagon  and  forbad  them  from  proceeding  farther. 
Interpreter  Dimic  B.  Hunting-ton,  who  was  with  the 
Company,  pleaded  for  them  to  try  the  emigrants  a 
while  and  see  if  they  could  not  live  in  peace  together, 
and  after  about  an  hour's  delay  they  were  allowed  to 
proceed  in  peace.  They  located  on  the  south  side  of 
the  river,  near  the  lower  crossing.  They  built  their 
houses  in  a  paralellogram,  about  20  by  30  rods,  en- 
closing an  ancient  mound  near  the  center.  Most  of 
the  houses  were  built  of  cottonwood  logs,  in  solid 
continuous  line,  and  where  vacancies  occurred,  the 
space  was  filled  in  with  pickets,  about  12  feet  long, 
set  in  the  ground  close  together,  for  protection  in 
case  of  attack  from  hostile  Indians.  They  had  a  gen- 
eral stock  corral  on  the  East  side  of  the  fort  outside, 
beside  several  private  corrals  behind  the  respective 
houses,  with  gates  or  back  door  openings,  the 
farming  was  conducted  on  the  east,  south  and  west 
of  the  fort,  mostly  on  the  west  side  towards  the  lake. 
They  got  along  pretty  well  with  the  natives  the  fore 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  21 

part  of  the  season,  although  some  of  the  worst  In- 
dians of  ihis  western  region  belonged  to  this  tribe, 
and  they  soon  found  that  Provo  was  the  great  an- 
nual gathering  place  for  all  the  Ute  bands  of  the  val- 
leys for  two  hundred  miles,  east  and  south,  on  ac- 
count of  the  wonderful  supply  of  fish,  moving  up  the 
stream  from  the  lake  to  their  spawning  grounds 
every  spring,  indeed  so  great  were  the  number  of 
suckers  and  mullet  passing  continuously  up  stream 
that  often  the  river  would  be  full  from  bank  to  bank 
as  thick  as  they  could  swim  for  hours  and  sometimes 
days  together,  and  fish  would  be  taken  in  all  ways 
and  places.  The  Indians  could  feast  from  morning 
until  night  for  weeks  together,  free  of  all  cost,  ex- 
cept a  little  labor  catching  the  Paligar  (suckers),  or 
Mpahger  (speckled  trout,  good  fish).  At  the  time  of 
their  arrival  at  Provo  the  Timpanodes  were  govern- 
ed by  a  chief  called  by  the  whites,  Little  Chief,  but 
in  about  a  month  after  this,  he  led  a  party  of  war- 
riors to  attack  Wanship's  band,  north  of  Salt  Lake 
City,  and  was  killed  in  a  battle  up  at  Ogden  hole,  or 
north  Ogden,  then  Opecarry  (Stick-in-the-Head). 
There  was  also  Old  Elk,  (Pareyarts],  Old  Battiste, 
Tintic,  his  brother,  Portsorvic,  Angatewats  and  other 
noted  ones  here,  Old  Sawiet,  old  Petnich,  Walker  and 
his  brother,  and  old  Uinta  and  his  sons,  Tabby, 
Graspero.  and  Nicquia,  old  Antero,  and  some  times 
Kanosh.  These  with  their  bands  had  been  accustom- 
ed to  meet  at  Provo,  and  have  a  great  good  time, 
horse  racing,  trading,  gambling  and  eating  fish,  for 
several  weeks  every  year.  There  were  some  addi- 
tions made  to  the  population  at  Provo  during  the 
summer,  and  in  the  fall  when  Indian  troubles  broke 
out,  they  were  situated  in  the  fort. 


22  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

The  Indians  were  anxious  for  traders  to  bring 
guns,  ammunition  and  various  merchandise  to  barter 
for  their  skins  and  furs,  horses  and  such  things  as 
they  had,  sometimes  buffalo  robes,  as  those  Ute  In- 
dians were  an  enterprising  race,  generally  going 
once  a  year  to  the  eastern  plains,  to  kill  buffalo,  and 
for  many  winters  had  made  incursions  into  Southern 
California,  robbing  the  ranchers  of  thousands  of 
horses.  The  cause  of  these  raids  being  based  on  the 
bad  treatment  of  some  of  Chief  Walker's  party 
many  years  ago,  by  certain  ranchers,  taking  their 
buffalo  robes,  Indian  children  and  confiscating  their 
property  without  compensation.  The  settlers  no 
doubt  acted  under  law  of  trade  and  intercourse,  but 
which  was  not  understood  by  those  tribes  of  the 
Utah  band.  In  this  way  Walker's  band  of  Utes  had 
accumulated  many  horses.  Some  of  the  men  here 
started  up  a  traffic  with  the  natives,  notably  Alex 
Williams,  the  guides  James  B.  Porter  and  D.  B. 
Huntington,  their  interpreter.  After  a  while  came 
trouble. 

The  first  serious  outbreak  was  occasioned  by 
three  of  our  people,  namely:  Richard  A.  Ivie,  Y. 
Bufus  Stoddard  and  Gerome  Zabriskie,  who  met  an 
Indian  called  Bishop  Whitney,  in  the  field  and 
claimed  a  shirt  the  Indian  had  on.  The  Indian  re- 
fused to  give  it  up.  Ivie  claimed  it  as  his  and  tried 
to  take  it,  was  resisted  and  in  the  scuffle  that  in- 
sued,  the  Indian  was  killed,  and  his  body  weighted 
with  rock,  was  sunk  in  the  river,  so  reported  by 
the  Indians,  who  found  the  body  after  24  hours 
search. 

This  killing  of  the  Old  Bishop,  so  called,  occur- 
red about  the  1st  of  August,  1849,  and  immediately 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  23 

caused  great  excitement  amongst  the  Indians,  es- 
pecially the  Timpanodes,  located  here.  They  first 
demanded  the  murderers,  which,  of  course,  was  re- 
fused by  the  whites.  They  then  required  compen- 
sation in  cattle  and  horses,  but  nothing  was  ever 
given,  and  shortly  after  this  cattle  and  horses  were 
found  with  arrows  sticking  in  them,  several  per- 
sons were  shot  at  while  in  the  woods  and  other 
places.  Meanwhile  the  people  prepared  for  defense. 
Peter  W.  Conover  was  chosen  Captain  of  Militia 
with  E.  T.  Thomas  and  G.  T.  Willis,  lieutenants, 
Miles  Weaver,  adjutant,  Joseph  Clark,  sergeant. 
Guards  were  posted  at  night  and  armed  herdsmen 
on  horseback,  kept  the  stock  by  day.  The  leading 
Indians  ordered  the  people  off  their  lands.  They 
made  serious  threats  in  case  of  failure  to  leave  and 
stock  was  stolen  from  time  to  time. 

About  September  1st  a  bastion  was  constructed 
on  the  mound  in  the  fort,  of  heavy  posts,  30  feet 
square,  with  log  railings,  and  a  six  pounder  iron 
cannon  placed  on  the  pfatlorm  of  the  bastion,  which 
was  sufficiently  elevated  to  protect  the  fort  and 
stockyards  from  attack,  which  was  considered  liable 
to  occur  at  any  time. 

About  this  time  a  large  company  of  gold  seekers 
enroute  westward  by  way  of  southern  California, 
made  their  camp  alongside  the  fort  and  they  hav- 
ing plenty  of  arms  and  ammunition,  were  a  great 
aid,  they  stayed  four  or  five  weeks  and  had  stock 
which  was  cared  for  together  for  mutual  protec- 
tion. 

Our  militia  company  continued  to  practice  al- 
most daily,  and  through  the  liberality  of  the  emi- 
grant camp  powder  was  supplied  for  the  cannon. 


24  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


Illl HIM 


After  the  California  emigrants  had  passed, 
the  Indians  got  very  troublesome,  and  were  some- 
times aggravated  by  our  people,  so  that,  towards 
Christmas,  open  war  seemed  inevitable.  The  measles 
got  among  our  people  and  from  there  to  the  natives, 
having  taken  some  prisoners,  from  them  the  disease 
spread  through  the  tribe. 

With  the  aid  of  the  measles  and  about  100  men 
from  Salt  Lake  County  the  Indians  were  finally 
driven  off  into  the  mountains  and  far  away  valleys. 

During  a  three  days  fight  near  here,  the  Indians 
being  behind  a  breatwork  of  logs  and  earth  banks, 
Joseph  Higbee  was  killed  and  Alex  Williams,  Al- 
bert Miles,  Alev  Stevens  and  Sam  Casus  (?)  were 
severely  wounded  and  Isham  Flyn,  John  Nowlin  and 
one  or  two  others  slightly  wounded. 

SETTLING  OF  UTAH  VALLEY.     COPIED  FROM 

WHITNEY'S  HISTORY  OF  UTAH.    TROUBLE 

AT  FORT  UTAH   (PROVO). 

It  was  with  reluctance  that  the  Timpanogos 
Indians  who  met  the  Higbee  colony  in  March,  1848, 
permitted  the  first  white  settlement  on  Provo  River, 
and  that,  too,  in  spite  of  the  invitation  previously 
extended  to  the  colonists  by  the  chiefs,  Sowiette  and 
Walker,  to  settle  among  their  tribes  and  teach 
them  how  to  become  civilized.  It  has  also  been 
stated  that  soon  after  Fort  Utah  was  founded,  Walk- 
er, according  to  Colonel  Bridger  and  Mr.  Vasquez  be- 
gan stirring  up  the  Indians  against  the  "Mormon" 
settlers.  In  this  movement  Walker  was  aided  by 
another  chief  named  Elk, — variously  styled  Big 
Elk,  Old  Elk,  etc., — like  himself  a  hater  of  the  whites, 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


and  apparently  quite  as  fond  of  fighting.  It  was 
with  Big  Elk  and  his  band  that  the  Provo  settlers, 
in  their  first  regular  battle  with  the  savages,  had  im- 
mediately to  deal. 

It  was  believed  by  Governor  Young  that  Colonel 
Bridger  and  other  mountaineers  were  at  the  bottom 
of  much  of  the  ill-feeling  manifested  by  the  red  men, 
and  they  were  incited  to  attack  the  "Mormon"  set- 
tlements. The  Governor,  (Brigham  Young),  how- 
ever, seemed  to  have  confidence  in  Mr.  Vasquez,  who 
had  opened  a  small  store  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and 
whose  interests  to  that  extent  were  identified  with 
those  of  the  settlers. 

The  Indians,  at  first  so  friendly  with  the  Utah 
Valley  colonists,  began  their  depredations  in  that 
vicinity  in  the  spring  of  1849.  Grain  was  stolen  from 
the  fields,  cattle  and  horses  from  the  herds,  and  now 
and  then  an  arrow  from  an  Indian  bow  would  fall  un- 
comfortably near  some  settler  as  he  was  out  gather- 
ing fuel  in  the  river  bottoms. 

THE  FIRST  INDIAN  WAR. 

The  first  fight  with  the  Indians  took  place  on 
Battle  Creek,  near  the  present  site  of  Pleasant  Grove, 
it  occurred  early  in  the  spring  of  1849.  There,  Colonel 
John  Scott,  with  thirty  or  forty  men,  after  a  sharp 
skirmish  defeated  the  savages  under  Chief  Kone — 
also  Roman  Nose — and  drove  them  up  Battle  Creek 
Canyon.  Five  Indians  were  killed,  but  none  of  Col- 
onel Scott's  men  were  hurt.  He  had  been  sent  south 
to  recover  some  stolen  horses  taken  from  Orr's  herd 
in  Utah  Valley,  and  several  cattle  stolen  from  Ezra 
T.  Benson 's  herd  in  Tooele.  Battle  Creek  derived  its 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


name  from  this  initial  encounter  between  the  Indians 
and  Deseret  Militia. 

For  some  reason  the  authorities  at  Salt  Lake 
City  did  not  altogether  approve  the  conduct  of  this 
campaign.  No  doubt  they  regretted  the  necessity  for 
a  military  expedition  against  the  savages,  and  de- 
plored the  fatalities  attending  it,  not  only  from  hu- 
manitarian considerations,  but  fearing  probably  that 
it  would  precipitate  a  general  war,  and  unify  all 
the  savage  bands  of  the  vicinity  against  a  handful 
of  settlers  at  Fort  Utah.  "Shed  no  blood"  was  a 
standing  general  order  to  the  "Mormon"  militia  in 
those  days,  and  the  troops  were  expected  to  adhere  to 
it  wherever  possible.  Yet  blood  had  now  been  shed 
and  the  Indians  were  doubtless  exasperated.  This 
may  or  may  not  have  been  the  reason  that  Colonel 
Scott  was  found  fault  with.  That  would  materially 
depend  upon  the  nature  of  the  orders  he  had  received 
from  his  superiors,  and  his  ability  under  subsequent 
circumstances  to  carry  out  those  orders.  It  is  a  fact, 
however,  that  the  Colonel  fell  under  some  censure  at 
the  time,  and  because  of  it  declined  to  take  part  in 
succeeding  Indian  campaigns. 

It  is  said  that  the  Utah  Indians  never  sought  re- 
venge for  any  of  their  number  killed  while  stealing 
or  making  an  attack.  Colonel  George  A.  Smith  is 
authority  for  this  statement. 

But  the  Battle  Creek  skirmish,  which  was  not 
strictly  an  affair  of  that  kind,  could  not  but  have  the 
effect  of  straining  the  relations  between  the  settlers 
and  their  savage  neighbors,  and  extinguishing  in 
the  hearts  of  the  latter  that  spark  of  friendship 
which  yet  remained. 


27 


They  continued  their  petty  depredations  and  be- 
came bolder  and  more  insolent  daily.  The  settlers  at 
Fort  Utah  would  occassionally  fire  their  cannon  to 
warn  the  redskins  that  they  were  not  unmindful  of 
their  misdeeds,  and  were  prepared  to  maintain  their 
rights.  But  the  Indians  were  not  to  be  awed  by  sound 
and  smoke.  Their  nefarious  practices  went  on.  They 
were  evidently  provoking  a  conflict.  Stock  con- 
tinued to  be  taken  from  the  herds,  and  all  efforts  to 
recover  stolen  property  were  stoutly  resisted.  Fi- 
nally the  Indians  began  firing  on  the  settlers  as  they 
issued  from  their  fort,  and  at  last  the  stockade  was 
virtually  in  a  state  of  siege. 

No  longer  was  it  arrows  alone  that  fell  around 
them.  Bullets  whizzed  past  their  ears.  The  In- 
dians were  now  well  supplied  with  fire-arms  and 
ammunition,  obtained  in  exchange  for  horses,  mostly 
from  California  emigrants  who  had  passed  through 
the  country. 

Captain  Howard  Stansbury's  party,  during  the 
fall,  had  been  surveying  around  Utah  Lake,  where 
they  also  were  much  annoyed  by  the  savages. 

As  winter  came  on,  they  suspended  their  labors 
and  returned  to  Salt  Lake  City,  feeling  satisfied 
that  in  the  existing  state  of  affairs  in  Utah  Valley 
it  would  be  both  difficult  and  dangerous  for  them  to 
continue  operations  in  the  spring,  exposed,  as  they 
would  be,  to  attacks  from  the  savages,  either  in  open 
field  or  deadly  .ambush. 

The  subsequent  sad  fate  of  Lieutenant  John  W. 
Gunnsion  and  his  party  on  the  Sevier  showed  that 
these  apprehensions  were  well  grounded. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


FEB.  9th.  BATTLE  AT  FORT  UTAH. 

As  for  the  inhabitants  of  Fort  Utah,  they  pa- 
tiently bore  their  annoyances  and  losses  until  nearly 
spring,  1850,  when  affairs  became  so  serious  that 
they  felt  compelled  to  appeal  for  aid  to  Governor 
Brigham  Young  and  the  Legislature,  still  in  session 
at  Salt  Lake  City.  Captain  Peter  W.  Conover,  in 
charge  of  military  affairs  at  the  fort,  and  Miles 
Weaver  carried  the  message  of  their  anxious  fel- 
low settlers  to  headquarters. 

Governor  Young,  on  receiving  the  message, 
found  himself  in  a  somewhat  peculiar  position.  That 
the  beleaguered  settlers  must  be  relieved,  and  at  once 
was  evident,  not  only  for  their  own  sakes,  but  for 
that  of  other  settlements  already  forming  or  in  pros- 
pect in  the  south.  But  how  best  to  relieve  them  was 
the  question.  The  thought  of  more  fighting  and  blood- 
shed was  most  repugnant  to  him.  Not  for  worlds 
would  the  " Mormon"  leader  have  the  sons  of  La- 
man  think  that  he  and  his  people  came  among  them 
for  that  purpose.  "Feed  them  and  not  fight  them,' 
was  his  life-long  motto  and  policy  toward  the  red 
men.  Besides,  how  would  the  authorities  at  Washing- 
ton, by  whom  the  petition  of  Deseret  for  statehood 
was  then  being  considered,  regard  the  opening  of  a 
warfare  by  the  "Mormons"  upon  these  dusky 
"Wards  of  the  Government."  Deem  not  this  a  trifling 
consideration,  reader.  A  people  like  the  "Mor- 
mons, liable  to  be  misinterpreted,  had  to  be  cautious 
and  circumspect  in  their  public  acts  and  policies, 
where  other  communities,  whose  loyalty  and  good 
intents  were  unquestioned,  might  have  risked  all 
with  impunity. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  29 

iliiiiiiiini i iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin mi  MI  ii  ii  i iitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilMlllllliliiilililiiliiiiiiiiniiiiiiim 

Fortunately,  there  was  a  government  office]?"" 
on  the  grounds,  a  brave  and  honorable  man, — Cap- 
tain Howard  Stansbury.  It  being  evident — all  con- 
ciliatory efforts  having  failed — that  force  must  be 
employed  to  put  an  end  to  the  aggressions  of  the 
savages,  the  Captain  was  asked  by  Governor  Young 
and  other  officials  for  an  expression  of  opinion  as  to 
what  view  the  Government  would  probably  take  of  it. 
1 1 1  did  not  hesitate  to  say  to  them, ' '  says  Stansbury, 
"that  in  my  judgment  the  contemplated  expedition 
against  these  savage  marauders  was  a  measure  not 
only  of  good  policy,  but  one  of  absolute  necessity 
and  self-preservation. 

He  therefore  warmly  approved  of  it,  and  not 
only  that,  but  at  Governor  Young's  request  permit- 
ted Lieutenant  Howland  to  accompany  the  expedition 
as  its  adjutant,  and  contributed  arms,  ammunition, 
tents  and  camp  equipage  for  the  soldiers.  Dr.  Blake, 
of  the  Stansbury  party,  acted  as  surgeon  for  the  ex- 
pedition. 

A  company  of  fifty  minute  men  under  Captain 
George  D.  Grant  started  from  Salt  Lake  City,  Feb. 
7  1850,  followed  by  fifty  others,  commanded  by  Major 
Andrew  Lytle.  Colonel  Scott  had  been  ordered  to  go, 
but  declined,  for  which  he  was  afterwards  court- 
martialed.  Major  Lytle  went  in  his  stead. 

The  expedition  set  out  early  in  February,  1850. 
The  weather  was  extremely  cold,  and  the  snow,  fro- 
zen and  hard-crusted,  was  over  a  foot  deep  in  the 
valleys.  Progress  was  therefore  rendered  very  dif- 
ficult. 

Captain  Grant's  cavalry,  after  marching  all 
night,  on  the  morning  of  the  8th,  arrived  at  Provo 
River.  Such  a  march  was  deemed  necessary  in  order 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


to  take  the  Indians  unaware  and  secure  an  advanta- 
geous position.  The  militia  found  the  settlers  in  their 
fort  on  the  south  side  of  the  stream,  and  the  Indians 
strongly  entrenched  in  the  willows  and  timber  of  the 
river-bottom,  a  mile  or  two  above.  They  were  pro- 
tected not  only  by  the  river-bank,  but  by  a  breast- 
work of  cotton-wood  trees  which  they  felled.  Near 
by  their  strong-hold  stood  a  double  log  house  facing 
the  river.  This  house,  built  by  James  A.  Bean  and 
sons,  which  at  one  time  became  the  center  of  action 
in  the  fight  that  ensued,  was  immediatey  opposite 
the  Indian  fortification.  It  had  been  deserted  by 
one  of  the  settlers,  James  A.  Bean,  who  had  taken 
refuge  with  his  family  at  the  fort.  The  house  was 
now  held  by  the  savages  who,  during  the  battle,  kept 
up  a  continuous  fire  from  its  windows  and  crevices, 
as  well  as  from  their  redoubt,  upon  the  attacking 
party. 

Captain  Conover,  commander  at  the  fort,  united 
his  men  with  Captain  Grant's,  and  the  main  forces 
then  proceeded  to  occupy  a  position  near  the  deserted 
building,  about  a  half  a  mile  south-west  of  the  log 
house  mentioned.  The  Indians  were  led  by  Chiefs 
Elk  and  Ope-Carry — surnamed  "Stick-in-the-Head" 
— the  latter,  like  Sowiette,  rather  friendly  with  the 
whites,  while  Elk,  as  has  been  stated,  was  more 
like  the  warlike  Walker.  Ope-Carry,  it  seems,  de- 
sired peace,  and  had  come  out  of  the  redoubt  to 
talk  with  Dimick  B.  Huntington,  the  interpreter, 
when  Elk  and  his  warriors  opened  fire,  and  the  bat- 
tle was  thus  begun. 

The  engagement  lasted  two  days,  during  which 
time  an  almost  incessant  fusilade  was  kept  up  be- 
tween the  white  assailants  and  the  dusky  defenders 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


of  the  river  redoubt.  Artillery  was  also  employed 
against  the  savages,  but  with  little  effect,  as  they 
were  right  under  the  bank,  and  most  of  the  balls 
passed  harmlessly  over.  A  squaw  was  killed  by  a 
chain  shot,  however,  during  the  progress  of  the 
fight.  The  Indians  would  make  frequent  sorties, 
and  after  delivering1  their  fire,  return  to  cover. 
Again,  they  would  thrust  their  gun  barrels  through 
the  snow  lying  deep  upon  the  banks  above  them, 
and  momentarily  raising  their  heads  high  enough 
to  take  aim,  discharge  their  broad-side  at  the  be- 
siegers. They  fought  so  stubbornly  that  all  efforts 
to  dislodge  them  for  a  time  proved  futile.  They 
killed  Joseph  Higbee,  son  of  Isaac  Higbee — then 
president  of  the  settlement — and  wounded  several 
others  of  the  attacking  force. 

Finally,  in  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day, 
(Feb.  9th)  Captain  Grant,  whose  care  had  been  to 
expose  his  men  as  little  as  possible,  determined  to 
capture  the  log-house  at  all  hazards.  He  therefore 
ordered  Lieutenant  William  H.  Kimball,  with  fifteen 
picked  men,  to  charge  upon  the  house  and  take  it. 
Among  those  who  participated  in  this  charge— 
the  one  daring  exploit  of  the  campaign — were  Rob- 
ert T.  Burton,  Lot  Smith,  James  Ferguson,  John  R. 
Murdock,  Ephraim  K.  Hanks,  A.  J.  Pendleton,  Or- 
son K.  Whitney,  Barney  Ward,  Henry  Johnson  and 
Isham  Flyn.  Kimball  and  his  men  preceded  up  the 
river  until  directly  opposite  the  log-house,  which 
now  intervened  between  them  and  the  stream.  They 
turned  to  the  left,  facing  the  rear  of  the  house,  and 
the  leader  gave  the  word  of  charge.  Dashing  forward 
through  a  ravine  that  for  some  moments  hid  them 
from  view,  the  horsemen  emerged  upon  the  flat  and 


32  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

were  within  a  few  rods  of  the  house,  in  the  act  of 
crossing  a  small  slough,  when  a  roaring  volley  from 
the  log  citadel  met  them.  Isham  Flyn  was  wounded 
and  the  charge  was  momentarily  checked.  Several 
swept  on,  however,  and  the  Indians  hastily  vacating 
the  house,  fled  to  their  entrenchments. 

The  first  two  troopers  to  gain  the  house  were 
Lot  Smith  and  Robert  T.  Burton,  who,  riding  around 
to  the  front  of  the  building,  entered  the  passage  be- 
tween the  two  compartments.  Bullets  whizzed  past 
them,  splintering  the  wood-work  all  around,  but  both 
they  and  their  horses  were  soon  under  shelter.  Their 
companions,  a  moment  later,  gathered  to  the  rear 
of  the  house,  and  none  too  soon,  for  the  Indians, 
recovering  from  their  surprise,  began  pouring  their 
volleys  into  the  ranks  of  cavalry  and  upon  the  cap- 
tured building.  Half  the  horses  were  instantly 
killed  and  their  riders  escaped  by  miracle.  Between 
the  volleys,  Lieutenant  Kimball,  Ephraim  K.  Hanks 
and  others,  darting  around  the  corner  of  the  house, 
gained  the  inside,  while  others  waited  until  an  open- 
ing had  been  made  in  the  rear. 

To  support  the  cavalry  charge,  Captain  Grant 
ordered  forward  a  small  detachment  of  infantiy. 
These  men,  ten  in  number,  were  a  portion  of  Captain 
Conover's  command,  and  were  led  by  Jabez  B.  Now- 
lin.  On  reaching  the  log-house,  with  saw  and  ax  they 
effected  an  entrance  at  the  rear.  Some,  however, 
went  around  the  corner  into  the  passage,  and  were 
fired  upon  by  the  savages ;  Nowlin  being  wounded 
in  thr.  nose. 

The  services  of  a  surgeon  was  now  in  demand. 
Seeing  that  something  was  wrong,  Captain  Grant 
requested  Hiram  B.  Clawson,  General  Wells'  aide, 


The  Indians  who  claimed  that  part  or  the  country  had  gone  south 
.into  Sevier  Valley  for  winter,  where  less  snow  fell  and  where  game 
was  more  plentiful,  such  as  deer  rabbits,  ducks,  geese,  etc.  Beaver 
otter  and  mink  were  in  the  river  and  small  streams. 

In  th  spring  of  1850,  the  Indians  returned  and  camped  south 
west  of  the  colonists,  Arrapene  was  their  chief,  they  were  friendly 
towards  the  whites.  At  the  death  of  Arrapene,  Sowiette  became  chief 
of  the  tribe,  which  numbered  several  hundred. 

The  author  herded  in  Sevier  Valley,  at  Willow  Creek  (now  Axtel) 
during  the  winter  of  1860.  More  than  three  years  prior  to  settling 
the  valley,  our  number  consisted  of  George  Wilson,  David  Wilson,  Eli 
Openshaw,  Samuel  Allen  and  myself  we  had  the  Mount  Pleasant 
dry  stock  and  a  bunch  of  sheep  to  care  for.  The  Indians  came  out 
from  Manti  to  winter  as  usual,  to  hunt  and  trap,  there  were  about 
forty  or  fifty  lodges  with  from  four  to  ten  Indians,  young  and  old 
to  each  lodge.  Their  tents  were  made  mostly  of  smoked  buckskins, 
the  smoking  prevented  them  from  becoming  hard  after  being  wet,  and 
they  were  very  strong  and  durable.  Their  sewing  thread  consisted 
of  sinew  taken  from  the  back  of  deer,  which  is  the  strong  ligaments 
that  lays  near  the  skin,  extending  from  the  hip  to  shoulder,  it  could 
be  stripped  apart  in  as  fine  threads  as  desired  and  was  very  strong 
and  durable,  their  bow  strings  were  made  of  the  same  material  and 
they  glued  a  covering  of  sinew  on  the  back,  or  ontside  of  their  bows 
to  give  them  strength  and  spring.  As  a  rule  they  were  better  marks- 
men with  their  bows  than  with  guns.  The  squaws  enjoyed  target  prac- 
tice, but  were  not  strong  enough  to  pull  the  arrow  back  as  the  bucks 
did,  consequently  they  would  lay  on  their  back,  place  the  middle  of 
of  the  bow  against  the  soles  of  their  moccasins,  placing  •  the  arrow- 
between  their  feet  and  with  both  hands  pull  the  arrow  back  its  full 
length,  with  a  good  bow  they  could  send  an  arrow  four  hundred  yards 
or  more.  Their  best  bows  were  made  of  mountain  sheep  horns.  Their 
tent  poles  were  about  twelve  feet  long  and  about  two  inches  in  dia- 
meter, with  holes  through  the  small,  or  top  ends  to  tie  them  together 
when  traveling,  they  dragged  about  five  on  either  side  of  a  horse  and 
fastened  a  small  stick  across  behind  the  horse  and  loaded  them  with 
blankets,  provisions  and  pappooses.  A  squaw  would  generally  ride, 
hunched  on  the  horse  between  the  ends  of  the  tent  poles.  The  tents, 
or  wicki-ups  were  open  at  the  top  to  let  out  the  smoke  and  the  poles 
weer  spread  out  at  he  lower  ends  to  hold  out  the  tent.  There  was 
a  flap  to  fasten  over  the  entrance  at  night  and  to  keep  out  storms. 
They  generally  pitched  camp  in  a  sheltered  place,  I  never  heard  of  their 
wickiups  blowing  down. 

The  squaws  tanned  the  buckskins  and  hides,  their  tanning  mate- 
rial was  the  brains  of  animals,  they  laid  the  hides  over  a  small  tree, 
cut  down,  laying  on  a  slope  and  do  the  working  with  hands,  sticks 
and  rib  bones,  and  rocks.  They  sewed  their  moccasins  and  clothing 
with  sinew,  they  also  made  blankets  or  robes  by  tearing  rabbit  skins 
in  strips  and  twisting  them  in  long  rolls  with  the  fur  out,  sewing  them 
together  as  a  white  woman  would  a  braided  rug,  their  robes  were  very 

soft    and    warm. 

Peter     Gottfredson. 


PRESIDENT    BUIGIIAM    YOUXG 

First    Governor    of    Utah. 
"It     is    cheaper    to    fe^tl     them     than    to     f'.ght    them." 


'mtt££^j3F&ll% . 
™M:™%Z«/faWm  t*  ^ ; 


XT*'  SK--  "    z^~^^ 

V.^>^x      5>  '     ~n  >^K_^ 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  33 

who  had  accompanied  the  expedition,  to  ride  to  the 
house  and  ascertain  what  was  needed.  He  did  soy 
performing  the  hazardous  feat  successfully,  though 
bullets  sung  past  him  as  he  rode.  His  friends  at 
the  house,  seeing  him  coming,  redoubled  their  vol- 
leys and  drew  most  of  the  Indians  fire  in  their  di- 
rection. Returning,  Colonel  Clawson  reported  that 
surgical  aid  was  at  once  required  for  the  wounded. 
He  and  his  cousin,  Steven  Kinsey,  a  surgeon,  then 
rode  back  to  the  building.  Returning,  the  two  were 
again  fired  upon,  one  bullet  just  missing  Clawson 's 
head  and  piercing  Kinsey 's  hat.  Later  another  ball 
came  nigh  hitting  Clawson  and  went  through  Kin- 
sey's  trousers.  Both,  however,  escaped  unhurt. 

Meantime,  Lieutenant  Howland,  with  something 
of  the  integrity  of  a  Cortez,  had  conceived  the  idea 
of  a  movable  battery,  to  operate  against  the  In- 
dian redoubt.  His  idea  was  at  once  acted  upon.  A 
barricade  of  planks,  in  the  shape  of  a  V,  was  con- 
structed and  placed  upon  runners,  blankets  being 
hung  loosely  on  the  inside  to  stop  the  force  of  the 
balls  that  penetrated  the  timber.  The  outside  was 
covered  with  brush  and  boughs  to  conceal  the  true 
character  of  the  improvised  battery.  This  pointed 
barricade,  behind  which  quite  a  number  of  men  could 
take  shelter  and  deliver  their  fire  without  being 
much  exposed,  was  pushed  towards  the  Indian 
stronghold.  Like  Macbeth,  when  Birnam  Wood,  or 
what  he  took  to  be  a  forest,  came  toward  Dunsinane, 
the  Indians  were  thoroughly  alarmed  at  the  ap- 
proach of  this  strange  object,  and  divining  its  pur- 
pose made  up  their  minds  to  retreat.  Accordingly, 
that  evening,  they  opened  a  furious  fire  upon  the  po- 
sition held  by  the  troops,  and  under  cover  of  the 


34  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

darkness  withdrew.  The  log-house  had  previously 
been  vacated  by  Kimball  's  men,  a  circumstance  which 
enabled  the  Indians  to  depart  unobserved,  after  help- 
ing themselves  to  a  supply  of  horse-beef  from  the 
dead  cavalry  animals  lying  near. 

General  Wells,  who  had  been  sent  for  to  take 
charge  of  further  operations,  arrived  next  moiiimg, 
Feb.  10th,  but  on  preparing  to  attack  the  Indians 
it  was  discovered  that  they  had  gone.  One  party, 
the  smaller  band,  had  retreated  in  the  direction  of 
Eock  Canyon,  a  rough  and  difficult  gorge  a  little 
north-east  of  Provo,  while  the  main  party  had  fled 
southward  in  the  direction  of  Spanish  Fork.  A 
dead  squaw — the  one  killed  by  a  cannon  shot — was 
found  in  the  Indian  encampment;  also  two  or  three 
warriors,  dead  or  dying.  Elk,  the  chief,  subse- 
quently died  of  wounds  received  during  the  siege. 
His  being  wounded  had  probably  disheartened  the 
savages  and  caused  the  retreat  quite  as  much  as 
Lieutenant  Rowland's  battery.  The  lieutenant  had 
returned  to  Salt  Lake  City  after  the  second  day's 
skirmish.  Some  of  the  Indians,  more  friendly  than 
their  fellows,  had  deserted  their  ranks  before  the 
fighting  began,  taking  refuge  with  the  white  fami- 
lies in  the  fort. 

Detailing  certain  men  to  garrison  the  stockade, 
and  others  to  pursue  the  Rock  Canyon  refugees,  Gen- 
eral Wells,  with  the  main  body  of  the  cavalry,  set 
out  upon  the  trail  of  the  Indians  who  had  gone  south- 
ward. At  Spanish  Fork  and  Pe-teet-neet  (now  Pay- 
son) — short  skirmishes  occurred,  and  eventually,  on 
Feb.  llth  the  Indians  were  overtaken  near  Table 
Mountain,  at  the  south  end  of  Utah  Lake.  Another 
battle  ensued,  and  the  Indians  were  practically  an- 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  35 

nihilated.  Most  of  the  fighting  took  place  on  the 
ice,  which  was  very  slippery,  making  it  extremely 
difficult  for  the  horses  to  keep  their  feet.  The  In- 
dians, being  shot  at,  would  fall,  as  if  dead,  and  then, 
as  their  pursuers  drew  near,  rise  up  and  fire. 

They  killed  several  horses  in  this  manner,  but 
none  of  the  cavalrymen  were  hurt. 

Night  came  down,  and  a  bitter  night  it  was. 
The  soldiers  were  forced  to  take  refuge  in  the  wicki- 
ups vacated  by  the  Indians  on  the  bleak  mountain 
side.  As  these  primitive  shelters  swarmed  with  ver- 
min the  result  may  readily  be  imagined. 

On  returning  to  Fort  Utah,  General  Wells  found 
that  Major  Lytle  and  Captain  Lamereux,  joining 
their  forces,  had  pursued  the  other  band  of  Indians 
up  Bock  Canyon.  The  fate  of  these  savages  was 
similar  to  that  of  their  fellows  at  Table  Mountain. 
The  total  Indian  loss  was  about  forty,  more  than 
half  the  number  of  warriors  engaged  Efforts  were 
made  to  civilize  the  squaws  and  papooses  who  were 
captured,  but  as  a  rule  without  avail  They  lived 
with  the  whites  during  the  winter,  but  in  the  spring 
again  sought  their  native  mountains. 

A  treaty  of  peace  was  entered  into  between  the 
settlers  and  the  Indians,  and  the  latter  now  agreed 
to  be  friendly  and  molest  their  white  neighbors  no 
more. 

CHIEF   WALKER   PLANS   TO   MASSACRE   THE 
PEOPLE. 

In  the  summer  of  1850,  Walker,  it  is  said,  laid  a 
plan  to  massacre  the  people  at  Fort  Utah.  It  was  in 
revenge  for  a  slight  that  he  imagined  he  had  received 
from  Governor  Young.  The  Ute  chief  had  visited  the 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


'* Mormon"  leader  to  obtain  his  permission  to  engage 
in  a  campaign  against  the  Shoshones,  in  which  Wal- 
ker wished  some  of  the  young  men  of  Provo  to  join. 
Governor  Young  would  not  listen  to  such  a  thing, 
and  again  advised  the  warlike  chief  to  cease  fight- 
ing and  bloodshed.  Walker  returned  to  Utah  Val- 
ley in  a  rage.  Gathering  his  band,  he  was  about  to 
fall  upon  the  fort,  when  Sowiette,  the  white  man's 
friend,  again  interposed  to  thwart  him.  He  not  only 
warned  the  inmates,  who  flew  to  arms,  but  told  Wal- 
ker that  he  with  his  band  would  help  the  fort  against 
him.  Walker  again  gave  way,  and  for  several  years 
warred  elsewhere,  not  molesting  the  "Mormon"  set- 
tlements. 

The  late  Bishop  Henson  Walker  of  Pleasant 
Grove,  Utah  County,  Utah,  related  an  incident  that 
occurred  at  the  battle  at  Provo,  in  which  he  formed 
a  conspicuous  figure.  He  said:  "I  shot  at  an  In- 
dian sixteen  times  from  behind  a  log.  To  do  him  jus- 
tice, he  was  equally  active.  There  we  were,  both 
under  cover  blazing  away  at  each  other,  when  neither 
showed  even  a  part  of  his  body.  But  I  had  the  last 
shot.  He  stuck  out  too  much  of  his  head  and  never 
got  back." 

Copied  from  l '  Deseret  Xews ' '  Vol.  1 : 

One  white  man  by  the  name  of  Baker  was  killed 
by  Indians  on  the  29th  of  May,  1850,  between  Utah 
and  Sanpete  Valleys. 

The  following  summer  a  successful  expedition 
was  undertaken  by  a  company  of  volunteer  (cavalry) 
under  Captain  George  D.  Grant,  against  the  Goshute 
Indians,  a  band  of  renegades  who  for  some  time 
had  been  stealing  stock  and  committing  murders  in 
Tooele  Valley  and  the  surrounding  region.  Their 


headquarters  were  in  Skull  Valley.  Captain  Wil- 
liam McBride  with  a  company  of  infantry  had  pre- 
ceded the  cavalry  to  that  point,  but  finding  it  im- 
possible to  operate  successfully  against  the  Indians 
with  his  troops,  had  requested  that  a  force  of 
mounted  men  be  sent  to  his  assistance.  The  Indian 
camp  was  among  the  Cedar  Mountains,  on  the  west- 
ern edge  of  a  desert,  twenty  miles  wide  and  very  dif- 
ficult to  cross,  owing  to  an  utter  lack  of  water.  A 
first  effort  to  surprise  and  chastise  the  savages 
proved  futile,  as  they  had  learned  of  the  coming  of 
the  troops  and  laughed  and  jeered  at  them  from  the 
rocky  heights  where  they  were  entrenched.  A  second 
march  of  the  cavalry  across  the  desert,  during  the 
night,  when  the  Indians  supposed  the  pursuit  had 
been  abandoned,  was  completely  successful.  The 
savages  were  surprised  in  their  wickiups  just  at  day- 
break, and  the  males  almost  annihilated.  Tons  of 
11  jerked  beef,"  manufactured  from  the  stolen  cattle 
of  the  settlers,  were  found  stored  in  the  Indians' 
stronghold.  Among  those  who  participated  in  this 
expedition,  which  gave  many  years  of  peace  to  the 
western  settlements,  were  George  D.  Grant,  William 
H.  Kimball,  Robert  T.  Burton,  Nathaniel  V.  Jones, 
Rodney  Badger,  James  M.  Barlow,  John  Wakely, 
Charles  Westover  and  Jesse  Turpin. 

COPIED  FROM  TULLIDGE'S  HISTORIES, 
VOL.  II,  P.  83. 

1  '  The  pioneers  of  Tooele  County  had  their  com- 
plement of  trouble  with  the  Indians,  in  common  with 
the  early  settlers  in  Utah.  ''With  them,"  writes 
the  Historian  Edward  W.  Tullidge  for  several  years, 
the  loss  of  cattle  and  horses  was  frequent  and  often 

2771 56 


38  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

severe.  Scouting  after  the  enemy,  standing  guard 
and  forting  up  formed  an  important  factor  of  their 
lives.  Many  incidents  of  interest  will  remain  un- 
written, as  only  a  few  of  the  most  important  events 
can  now  be  gathered  up  and  placed  on  record. 

In  the  spring  of  1851,  some  emigrants  on  their 
way  to  California  were  assisting  Ezra  T.  Benson 
to  put  up  a  saw-mill  at  Kichville,  (now  known  as 
the  Mill),  when  a  party  of  the  surrounding  Indians 
stole  their  horses.  One  of  them  Mr.  Ouster,  with. 
Harrison  Severe,  Thomas  Lee  and  other  "Mormon" 
settlers,  followed  them,  as  they  supposed,  to  the  west 
side  of  Rush  Lake;  but  evidently  mistook  the  route 
the  marauders  had  taken.  However,  they  there  found 
a  band  of  Indians  with  their  families,  took  thorn 
prisoners  and  started  for  Tooele,  but  without  dis- 
arming the  men.  On  the  way  the  Indians  and  con- 
sequently the  guard  became  separated  into  small 
squads.  It  appears  that  Mr.  Ouster  was  a  little  in 
the  rear  and  south  of  the  town  of  Tooele  when  the 
two  or  three  Indians  with  him  made  a  break  in  the 
darkness,  for  it  was  in  the  evening,  and  in  the  melee 
Ouster  was  shot.  Those  ahead  of  him  soon  learned 
the  fact  by  his  horse  coming  up  with  them  riderless. 
Some  men  went  back  and  found  his  body  on  a  rock 
where  he  had  fallen.  The  blood-stained  rock  was  a 
witness  of  the  event  for  many  years.  His  body 
was  taken  to  Salt  Lake  City  for  burial.  This  was 
the  first  bloodshed  connected  with  Indian  difficul- 
ties in  the  County.  Harrison  Severe,  and  perhaps 
others,  succeeded  in  getting  five  Indian  warriors  in- 
to Tooele  City  to  a  military  camp  prepared  by  Cap- 
tain Wright  for  their  reception.  0.  P.  Rockwell, 
cdmmonly  known  as  Porter  Rockwell,  was  sent  from 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  39 

Illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll IIIIM it lllllfllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillliiliilniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinilllN 

headquarters  and  took  direction  of  affairs  in  this 
Indian  trouble.  Considering  it  best  to  make  another 
effort  to  obtain  the  stolen  horses,  he  took  a  party 
of  men,  and  with  them  the  five  Indian  prisoners  and 
went  through  the  mountains  west  of  Grantsville  into 
Skull  Valley.  The  prisoners  were  evidently  in  sym- 
pathy with  their  thieving  brethern  and  professed  to 
know  nothing  of  those  who  had  stolen  the  horses. 
Their  assertions  received  no  credit  from  the  whites. 
The  party  formed  camp,  went  on  a  scout,  and  left 
Harrison  Severe  to  guard  the  Indians  for  some 
twenty-four  hours,  rather  a  precarious  business  for 
one  man  under  the  circumstances. 

Eockwell  and  his  men,  not  finding  any  trace  of 
the  stolen  horses,  deemed  it  unwise  to  turn  the 
thieves  in  their  power  loose  to  commit  more  depreda- 
tions and  perhaps  shed  the  blood  of  some  useful  citi- 
zen, and  they  were  sacrificed  to  the  natural  instincts 
of  self-defense. 

Soon  after  the  above  events  the  Indians  stole 
about  one  hundred  head  of  cattle  from  a  herd  kept 
by  Mr.  Charles  White  near  Black  Rock,  at  the  south 
end  of  the  Salt  Lake,  drove  them  past  the  present 
site  of  Grantsville,  through  Skull  Valley  into  the 
mountains  west.  Some  of  the  cattle  being  too  fat  to 
drive,  died  by  the  way;  the  remainder  were  killed 
and  the  meat  dried  and  stored  in  cedar  trees.  These 
Indians  were  first  pursued  by  fourteen  men  from 
Salt  Lake  City  under  Captain  Wm.  McBride.  They 
got  track  of  the  stolen  cattle  in  the  region  of  Skull 
Valley,  but  found  the  Indians  too  numerous  for  their 
numbers  and  they  sent  an  express  to  Salt  Lake  City 
for  assistance.  General  James  Ferguson  and  Col- 
onels Geo.  D.  Grant  and  Wm.  H.  Kimball  came  out 


40  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

iifiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiin n  i  ii  i  inn  i inn tiiiiiiiiiimiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiin mr 

from  Salt  Lake  City  with  forty  men,  were  joined  by 
ten  more  from  Tooeie  City,  and  \xith  these  went  after 
the  marauders.  After  considerable  scouting  and 
several  attempts  to  surprise  bands  of  Indians,  while 
on  the  march  early  one  morning  a  camp  was  dis- 
covered in  a  canyon  up  the  side  of  a  mountain.  It 
was  approached  as  near  as  possible  wihout  being 
discovered,  when  the  command  was  given  to  make 
a  rush  upon  it,  every  man  to  do  the  best  he  could. 
The  best  mounted  were  upon  the  Indians  before 
they  could  get  away,  and  nine  of  the  warriors 
V '  were  kille_(L_J  Several  expeditions  from  Salt  Lake 
City  afterwards  assisted  in  the  defense  of  the 
settlements,  but  there  being  no  records  of  these 
events  it  is  now  difficult  to  write  them. 

Mr.  Harrison  Severe,  one  of  the  first  pioneers 
of  the  County,  had  ever  advocated  a  kindly  policy 
towards  the  Indians  who  were  not  known  to  be  guilty 
of  crime.  The  following  circumstance  shows  the 
wisdom  of  such  a  policy,  and  that  the  dispised  In- 
dian is  sometimes  capable  of  gratitude.  In  the 
Autumn  of  1852  he  went  into  the  mountains  with  a 
wagon  and  two  yoke  of  oxen  for  timber.  Near  his 
home  was  the  wicki-up  of  a  friendly  Indian  whose 
life  he  had  once  saved  from  the  vengeance  of  his 
irate  people.  This  Indian  closely  followed  him  into 
the  mountains  where  three  or  four  thieving  savages 
were  watching  the  coming  of  Mr.  Severe,  and  had  al- 
ready plotted  to  kill  him  and  take  his  oxen.  As  he 
was  unarmed  they  easily  took  him  prisoner,  and 
were  proceeding  to  carry  out  their  bloody  purpose, 
when  the  friendly  Indian  appeared  on  the  ground, 
placed  an  arrow  in  his  bow  and  informed  them  that 
before  dispatching  Mr.  Severe  they  would  be  obliged 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  41 

Hllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllflllll 

to  kill  him.  A  parley  ensued  and  the  robbers  were 
imbued  with  a  more  kindly  feeling.  One  of  them 
went  home  with  Mr.  Severe,  and  the  latter  sent  a 
messenger  into  Salt  Lake  City  for  an  interpreter. 
On  his  arrival  a  personal  treaty  was  made  between 
Mr.  Severe  and  the  Indians,  after  which  he  always 
went  wherever  he  wished  in  safety,  regardless  of  the 
difficulties  the  Indians  might  have  with  others.  The 
last  raid  made  by  Indians  on  the  the  animals  of  the 
citizens  of  Tooele  Valley  was,  doubtless,  brought 
about  by  some  thieving  white  person. 

Not  far  from  Tooele  City  an  Indian  Chief 
known  as  Naraquits  had  a  son,  about  sixteen  years 
old,  who  sickened  and  died ;  with  him,  in  accordance 
with  the  custom  of  his  people,  he  buried  a  rifle  and 
some  buckskins  for  his  use.  After  an  absence  of 
several  weeks  he  returned  to  visit  the  resting  place 
of  his  son  to  find  that  some  sacrilegious  white  man 
had  robbed  the  grave.  It  was  but  natural  that  his 
vengeance  should  be  aroused.  Shortly  after  this 
some  one  hundred  horses,  mostly  belonging  to  Nay- 
lor  and  Bringhurst,  were  driven  off.  It  afterwards 
transpired  that  they  were  taken  to  Fort  Bridger  and 
sold  to  U.  S.  Soldiers,  who  at  the  time  were  stationed 
there. 

In  1864  General  Connor's  Command  was  used   ! 
to  protect  the  Overland  Mail  Coach  on  the  road  from  / 
Stockton  west,  where  the  Indians  had  committed 
some  depredations.     Detachments  guarded  all  sta- 
tions and  a  guard  of  two  or  three  men  were  killed 
at  what  was  then  known  as  Bunt  Station,  near  where 
the  town-^^liftott^iow  stands.    At  one  time  thirty 
men  were  stationed  at  Government  Creek  for  sixty 
days.    A  little  west  of  the  creek  Captain  A.  Smith 


42  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

attacked  a  band  of  Indians  and  killed  nine  of  them. 
The  outbreak  ended  as  usual  with  such  affairs.  The 
barbarians  wasted  away,  and  a  miserable  remnant 
was  glad  to  make  peace  on  any  terms."  (Tullidge's 
Histories,  Col.  II,  pp.  3-85.) 

DEATH  OF  SQUASH-HEAD. 

The  following  was  written  by  J.  C.  Lemmon  at 
Ferron,  Aug.  6, 1906 : 

11  James  Lemmon  was  killed  by  an  Indian  called 
Squash-head  about  the  middle  of  May,  1851.    Mother 
was  helping  father  to  plant  beans,  when  a  neighbor 
came  to  borrow  a  wash-tub  and  board ;  the  man  had 
a  little  girl  with  him.    After  giving  the  man  the  tub, 
she  returned  to  help  father  in  the  lot  and  did  not 
notice  that  James  followed  them  and  that  in  cross- 
ing the  ditch  by  the  fence  he  fell  in  and  was  swept 
down  by  the  stream  in  the  opposite  direction.    The 
child  must  have  gone  down  the  ditch  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  when  Squash-head  happened  along     and 
found  the  child  and  made  off  with  him.    When  the 
alarm  was  given,  all  turned  out  to  hunt,  but  no 
trace  of  the  child  could  be  found.    Some  time  after- 
wards, however,  the  Indian  commenced  to  brag  about 
it,  in  consequence  of  which  he  was  arrested  and 
taken  to  Provo.     He  broke  away,  but  was  caught 
again  by  Joseph  Kelly  between  Spanish  Fork  and 
Springville  and  lodged  in  a  house  belonging  to  Bis- 
hop Johnson.    While  Alex  Williams  was  guarding 
him  he  told  how  he  killed  the  child.    He  had  tortured 
the  little  one  by  taking  off  its  toes  and  fingers,  and 
finally    finished   his    brutal   work   by   taking   him 
by  the  heels  and  smashing  the  back  of  its  head  on  a 


43 


rock.  The  child  was  twenty  months  and  six  days  old 
at  the  time  of  its  death.  Williams  then  killed  Squash- 
-head  by  cutting  his  throat  with  a  case-knife  which  he 
had  brought  in  with  the  Indian's  breakfast.  At  the 
time  of  the  tragedy  the  child's  parents  lived  at  Moun- 
tainville  (now  called  Alpine),  Utah  County.  ' 

The  writer  was  a  brother  of  the  child  who  was 
killed.  Geo.  McKenzie,  assistant-adjutant  general 
of  the  Utah  County  War  Veterans,  said,  after  read 
ing  the  above  that  it  was  written  by  some  one  who 
did  not  fully  understand  the  whole  matter. 

Don  C.  Johnson  says : ' '  Squash  Head  killed  him- 
self in  the  absence  of  Alex  Williams  and  that  it 
happened  in  Bishop  Johnson's  house."" 

CAUSE  AND  ORIGIN  OF  THE  WALKER  WAR. 
By  Geo.  McKenzie. 

Having  been  requested  by  State  commander  J. 
M.  Westwood  of  the  Utah  Indian  War  Veterans  As- 
sociation to  write  up  the  cause  of  the  "Walker  War," 
having  been  a  resident  of  Springville  at  the  time,  and 
being  well  acquainted  with  James  Ivie,  who  was  the 
principal  actorjn  the  drama  that  caused  the  war,  I 
submit  the  following  as  told  to  me  by  Ivie  at  the  time, 
and  on  several  occasions  since  the  war.  Walker, 
the  war  chief  of  the  Ute  nation,  with  his  braves  and 
their  families  were  camped  on  Spring  creek  about 
one  mile -north  of  the  present  town  of  Springville, 
(Utah  Co.,  Utah)  all  at  peace  with  the  white  settlers, 
spending  their  time  fishing  and  hunting,  and  trad- 
ing and  begging  from  the  people.  James  Ivie,  at 


44  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

that  time  had  built  a  cabin,  and  was  living  in  it  with 
his  wife  and  one  child  about  half  a  mile  north  and 
west  of  where  the  Indians  were  camped.  In  the  fore- 
noon of  July  17, 1853,  an  Indian  and  squaw  came  in- 
to Ivie's  cabin.  The  squaw  had  three  large  trout 
which  she  wanted  to  trade  to  Mrs.  Ivie  for  some  flour. 
Flour  being  very  scarce  at  that  time,  Mrs.  Ivie  called 
her  husband  in  to  get  his  views  on  the  trade  of  that 
kind,  he  being  at  work  digging  a  well.  When  he 
saw  the  trout,  he  said  "They  look  mighty  good  to 
me,"  and  suggested  that  Mrs.  Ivie  might  give  three 
pints  of  flour  for  them,  if  the  squaw  would  trade 
that  way.  He  then  went  out  of  the  cabin  to  resume 
his  work.  Just  after  Ivie  left  two  more  Indians  came 
into  the  cabin,  one  of  whom  seemed  to  be  the  husband 
or  had  some  kind  of  claim  on  the  squaw  who  had 
closed  the  trade  with  Mrs.  Ivie.  When  this  Indian 
saw  the  three  trout,  and  the  small  amount  of  flour 
received  in  exchange,  he  became  enraged  and  began 
beating  the  squaw,  knocking  her  down,  kicking  and 
stamping  her  in  a  brutal  manner.  While  this  assault 
was  being  committed,  Mrs.  Ivie  ran  and  called  her 
husband,  Mr.  Ivie  came  to  the  cabirt;  and  while  the 
Indian  was  still  beating  the  squaw  he  took  hold  of 
the  Indian  and  pulled  him  away,  the  squaw  lying 
prostrate  on  the  floor.  Ivie  tried  to  push  the  Indian 
out  of  the  cabin.  When  the  Indian  came,  he  left  his 
gun  standing  by  the  door,  and  as  Ivie  pushed  him  out 
he  grabbed  his  gun  and  tried  to  get  in  position  to 
shoot  Ivie.  Ivie  got  hold  of  the  muzzle  of  the  gun, 
and  in  the  struggle  the  gun  was  broken.  The  In- 
dian retaining  the  stock  and  Ivie  the  barrel.  When 
the  gun  broke,  Ivie  dealt  tlie  Indian  a  hard  blow  on 
the  head  with  the  barrel  of  the  gun.  The  Indian  fell 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  45 

to  the  ground,  apparently  dead,  but  did  not  expire 
until  some  hours  later.  The  other  Indian  who  came 
to  the  cabin  the  same  time  as  his  companian  drew  his 
bow  and  arrow  and  shot  Ivie,  the  arrow  passing 
through  the  shoulder  of  Ivie's  buckskin  hunting- 
shirt.  At  this  Ivie  struck  the  Indian  a  violent  blow 
and  he  fell  unconscious  by  the  side  of  the  prostrate 
body  of  the  other  Indian.  Just  as  Ivie  got  through 
with  this  second  Indian,  the  squaw  that  he  had  been 
trying  to  protect  came  out  of  the  cabin  door  with  a 
stick  of  wood  in  her  hand  which  she  had  picked  up  by 
the  side  of  the  fire  in  the  cabin.  With  it  she  struck 
Ivie  a  blow  in  the  face  cutting  a  deep  gash  in  his  up- 
per lip,  and  the  scar  showed  plainly  from  that  time 
until  his  death.  Ivie  again  used  the  gun  barrel  to  de- 
fend himself  and  struck  the  squaw.  She  fell  uncon- 
scious by  the  side  of  the  prostrate  bodies  of  the  two 
Indians.  At  this  stage  in  the  drama  Joseph  Kelly 
one  of  the  foremost  settlers  of  Springville,  car»_:e 
rpon  the  scene,  and  while  looking  at  the  three  In- 
dians lying  apparently  dead  he  was  told  by  Ivie  what 
had  taken  place.  Kelly  took  a  bucket  of  water  that 
stood  in  the  cabin  and  poured  it  on  the  Indians,  try- 
ing to  restore  them.  He  then  sent  the  Indian  who 
first  came  to  the  cabin  with  the  squaw  for  another 
bucket  of  water  to  try  to  restore  the  Indians  to  life ; 
this  Indian  having  taken  no  part  in  the  trouble. 

Kelly  told  Ivie  to  take  his  wife  and  child  and 
go  into  town  before  the  Indian  camp  was  notified  of 
the  trouble,  which  he  did. 

The  Indian  that  Kelly  sent  after  the  water  went 
to  the  Indian  camp  and  told  of  what  had  taken  place 
at  the  Ivie  cabin.  The  news  of  the  trouble  soon  spread 


INDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS 


through  the  camp  and  the  settlement  of  whites.  In- 
tense exictement  reigned,  both  in  the  Indian  camp 
and  the  settlement. 

Bishop  Aaron  Johnson,  who  was  chief  magis- 
trate in  all  civil  and  military  affairs  at  Springville, 
took  immediate  steps  to  protect  the  settlement.  He 
ordered  Caldwell's  cavalry  and  Parry's  infantry  to 
be  mustered  in  and  be  ready  for  action  at  call.  All 
the  other  male  citizens  over  sixteen  years  of  age 
were  enrolled  as  a  home  guard.  Johnson  with  his 
interpreter,  Wm.  Smith,  tried  everything  in  their 
power  to  settle  the  trouble  with  Chief  Walker,  by 
offering  ponies,  beef,  flour,  and  blankets,  but  Walker 
refused  to  settle  unless  Ivie  was  given  up  to  be  tried 
by  the  Indians,  which  Johnson  refused  to  do. 

The  next  day  (July  18th)  Walker  broke  camp 
and  went  to  Payson;  joined  his  brother  Arrapene 
another  Indian  chief,  and  together  they  went  into 
Payson  canyon,  killing  Alexander  Keele  who  was  on 
guard  at  the  outskirts  of  Payson,  saying,  that,  the 
war  would  last  until  the  white  people  were  all  ex- 
terminated. The  Indians  then  went  into  the  moun- 
tains east  of  Sanpete  Valley  and  left  their  families  in 
a  place  of  safety. 

The  Indians  returning  in  war  paint,  raided  the 
settlements  of  Utah,  Juab,  Sanpete,  Millard  and 
Iron  Counties  during  the  summer  and  fall.  The  last 
engagement  was  at  the  south  end  of  Utah  Lake  gen- 
erally spoken  of  as  the  Goslien  Valley  battle,  which 
lasted  about  three  hours ;  the  troops  taking  the  In- 
dian camp.  Nine  Indians  were  killed;  some  of  the 
troops  and  horses  were  shot,  but  none  mortally. 

Some  Indians  and  their  families  came  down 


INDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS  47 

Hobble  Creek  canyon  to  Springville  a  short  time 
after,  saying  that  the  war  was  over. 

A  short  time  after  Caldwell's  cavalry  and 
Parry's  infantry  were  released  from  duty,  having 
served  a  period  of  ninety-one  days ;  from  July  18th 
to  October  15,  1853. 

The  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  by  Walker  in 

May,  1854,  at  his  camp  on  Meadow  Creek,  Juab  Co. 

— Signed  Lieut.  Geo.  McKenzie. 

Walker  died  Jan.  29,  1855,  at  Meadow  Creek, 
Millard  County,  Utah  and  was  buried  by  his  tribe 
with  the  highest  honor  that  could  be  given  him  as  the 
most  noted  war-chief  of  the  nation. 

His  brother  Arrapeen  succeeded  him  as  chief. 

FURTHER  PARTICULARS  OF  THE  WALKER  WAR 

GIVEN  BY  JOHN  W.  BERRY  OF  PALMYRA, 

UTAH  COUNTY. 

"On  the  19th  of  July  1853  the  Indians  killed 
Alexander  Keele  at  Payson  and  commenced  what  is 
called  the  Walker  War.  On  the  20th  of  July,  Colonel 
Conover,  from  Provo,  in  command  of  a  company  of 
militia  known  as  the  Nauvoo  Legion,  called  at  Pal- 
myra and  asked  for  volunteers  to  join  his  company 
and  defend  the  settlements  not  provided  with  suf- 
ficient guards.  Major  Stephen  Markham,  John  W. 
Berry  and  fifteen  others  went  with  him  as  far  south 
as  Manti.  Colonel  Conover,  wishing  to  send  a  mes- 
sage to  President  Brigham  Young,  at  Salt  Lake  City, 
to  ask  for  his  advice,  appointed  Clark  Roberts,  of 
Provo,  and  John  W.  Berry  as  messengers  to  the 
President. 

These  messengers  left  Manti  at  4  o'clock  P.  M. 
on  the  23rd  of  July  1853,  and  arrived  at  Summit 


48  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

Creek,  (now  Santaquin)  about  10  A.  M.  on  the  fol- 
lowing day.  On  their  arrival  they  found  the  inhabi- 
tants had  all  moved  to  Payson  for  safety  and  that 
the  town  was  in  the  possession  of  tlTe  Indians.  While 
riding  along  through  the  streets  of  the  deserted  set- 
tlement, with  no  thought  of  the  Indians  being  in  full 
possession  of  the  same,  they  were  fired  on  by  twenty 
one  Indians,  from  a  house  in  which  they  were  con- 
cealed. Clark  Roberts  was  shot  through  the  right 
shoulder  and  John  W.  Berry  in  the  left  wrist.  Six 
or  seven  Indians  pursued  the  two  white  men  on  horse- 
back to  Spring  Lake,  wrhere  the  Payson  cow  herd  was 
stationed  under  a  guard,  consisting  of  five  or  six 
men.  The  Indians  seeing  this  guard  gave  up  the 
chase  and  started  back  into  the  mountains.  The 
wounded  men  went  on  to  Payson,  where  their  wounds 
were  dressed,  and  in  the  afternoon  they  were  con- 
veyed to  their  homes.  When  the  messengers  arrived 
at  Palmyra,  the  citizens  were  camped  in  the  school 
house. 

On  July  23rd,  1853,  W.  S.  Berry  and  Charles 
Price,  who  were  on  guard  discovered  Indians  at- 
tempting to  steal  cattle,  and  the  savages  commenced 
firing  upon  the  guards,  Charles  Price  was 
hit  in  the  right  thigh  by  a  bullet,  which  made  a  very 
severe  flesh  wound.  For  fear  of  further  Indian  hos- 
tilities the  people  from  the  upper  settlement  all 
moved  to  Palmyra  where  they  spent  the  winter  of 
1853-54.  Indians  stole  about  fifty  or  sixty  head  of 
cattle,  among  which  were  a  number  of  oxen,  and 
took  them  up  Spanish  Fork  Canyon  to  the  Warm 
Springs,  where  they  camped  all  winter  and  fed  upon 
the  stolen  stock. 

In  February,  1854,  Captain  Hancock  of  Payson, 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  49 

mum  M  ii  i  inn  in  i IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIII lllllllllllllll minium 

captured  two  Indians,  one  of  them  being  the  son 
of  Chief  Peteetneet.  He  held  the  chief's  son  a  pris- 
oner, and  sent  the  other  Indian  to  the  tribe  with  the 
message  that  he  would  hold  the  chief's  son  a  pris- 
oner until  an  interview  was  obtained  with  the  chief. 
On  the  following  morning  the  chief  came  and  held 
a  consultation  with  the  citizens,  after  which  he  agreed 
to  terms  of  peace,  which  in  a  short  time  ended  the 
Walker  War.  Governor  Brigham  Young  advised  the 
brethern  to  erect  Peteetneet  a  home  in  the  fort  line 
and  have  him  make  his  home  among  them.  This  was 
considered  wise  counsel,  and  accordingly  the  house 
was  built ;  the  chief  moved  into  it  and  remained  until 
the  settlement  was  broken  up. 

Silas  Hillman  of  Palmyra,  Utah  County,  makes 
the  following  statement  which  is  published  in  Tul- 
lidge  's  Quarterly  Magazine,  Vol.  3,  page  154. 

It  was  feared  the  Indians  would  attack  Sanpete 
County  settlements  as  they  appeared  to  be  heading 
that  way.  The  settlements  in  that  county  were 
sparse  and  some  were  small,  and  the  inhabitants 
knew  nothing  of  the  Indians  being  hostile.  There- 
fore, a  council  of  war  was  decided  to  follow  the'  In- 
dians and  get  to  Sanpete  as  soon  as  possible. 
We  started  next  morning.  I  took  command 
of  the  cavalry  company,  of  Palmyra,  being 
lieutenant  of  said  company;  the  captain  staying  at 
home  left  me  in  command.  This  was  on  the  21st  of 
July,  1853.  "When  we  arrived  in  Sanpete  Valley, 
the  main  body  of  troops  kept  straight  on  for  Manti 
City,  but  I,  with  my  company,  was  detailed  to  go 
around  to  the  Allred  settlement,  afterwards  called 
Springtown.  We  saw  some  fresh  signs  of  Indians, 
but  no  Indians.  We  found  the  families  gathered  to- 


50  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

IIIIIMIMIM Illlllllllllllllllllllll Illllllllllll I Illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Illllllll 

gether  and  a  board  fort  put  up  around  them — a 
rather  flimsy  fort  to  stop  bullets.  We  camped  with 
them  that  nigh£,  during  which  one  or  two  Indians 
were  seen  skulking  around.  Our  boys  shot  at  them, 
but  I  do  not  think  they  hit  them ;  it  raised  the  alarm 
however,  and  every  man  was  at  his  post  ready  for  a 
fight,  but  no  Indians  came. 

We  advised  the  few  settlers  of  Springtown  to 
move  down  to  Manti  City,  but  they  said  they  could 
take  care  of  themselves. 

We  had  been  ordered  to  make  for  the  main  army 
to  report  what  we  had  discovered  of  the  situation  of 
affairs  in  that  section  of  the  country,  therefore,  the 
next  morning  we  took  up  our  line  of  march  for 
Manti,  where  we  arrived  the  same  day  in  the  after- 
noon, joined  the  main  army  consisting  of  about  two 
hundred  men  under  command  of  Colonel  Markham 
and  Conover. 

"We  stopped  at  Manti  seven  or  eight  days,  dur- 
ing which  time  companies  were  scouting  the  country 
in  every  direction  in  search  of  Indians.  One  of  our 
companies  ran  across  a  camp  of  thirty  or  forty  In- 
dians and  had  a  brush  with  them.  Some  of  the  In- 
dians were  killed ;  the  balance  retreated. 

Another  party  of  the  Indians  came  down  the 
canyon  to  the  mill,  a  short  distance  above  Manti,  in 
the  night.  After  this  discovery  was  made,  a  strong 
guard  was  kept  up  in  the  mouth  of  the  canyon.  One 
night  I  had  command  of  a  company  doing  guard 
service  and  Captain  Chidester  had  charge  of  another 
in  the  mill  below  us,  where  the  road  came  down  the 
canyon.  It  was  a  very  steep  place,  and  a  thick  under- 
growth of  young  pines  grew  close  to  the  road.  We 
concealed  ourselves  along  the  road  in  this  under- 


INDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS  51 

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII linn 1 1  ii  ii  ii  i iiiiiitiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiii it 

growth  and  watched  all  night  for  Indians,  having 
planned  to  let  the  Indians  pass  us;  and  when  they 
should  reach  the  mill  Captain  Chidester's  company 
was  to  attack  them  and  drive  them  back  for  us  to 
attack  them.  Thus  they  would  have  been  attacked 
both  in  the  front  and  rear-  but  we  got  no  chance  to 
put  our  plans  into  action,  for  the  Indians  never  came. 

' '  After  we  had  been  away  about  twelve  days,  we 
received  orders  from  the  Lieutenant-General  to  re- 
turn home.  The  first  night  after  we  left  we  encamp- 
ed at  the  springs  north  of  Nephi  City.  That  night 
the  Indians  tried  to  drive  off  our  horses,  which  were 
feeding,  but  our  guard  being  strong  around  the 
horses  prevented  the  Indians  from  getting  them, 
and  fired  pretty  lively  for  a  short  time ;  the  balance 
of  the  guard  with  the  camp  surrounded  the  horses 
and  drove  them  into  a  corral,  which  had  been  left 
standing  when  the  inhabitants  evacuated  the  settle- 
ment and  took  shelter  in  the  city  of  Nephi.  The  next 
morning  we  saw  some  blood,  but  no  dead  Indians. 
Next  day  we  reached  Palmyra.  During  the  summer 
and  fall  we  had  to  keep  up  a  vigilant  watch  against 
the  Indians.  While  we  were  in  Sanpete,  Indians 
were  lurking  around  Palmyra.  One  man  by  the  name 
of  Price  was  shot  in  the  knee;  also  one  of  our  men 
(John  W.  Berry),  sent  home  with  an  express,  was 
shot  at  Summit  Creek  through  the  hand.  The  In- 
dians drove  off  the  Allred  settlement's  stock,  and 
during  the  season  killed  several  men  in  Sanpete. 
One  man  was  also  killed  at  Summit  Creek. 

We  had  another  expedition,  Sept  26th,  of  a 
couple  of  days  after  Indians  at  Salt  Greek,  in  Go- 
shen  Valley.  We  came  to  an  Indian  camp  just  at  day 
break  and  took  the  savages  by  surprise.  As  they 


52  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

begged  for  peace,  we  told  them  if  they  would  give 
up  their  arms  and  go  to  the  settlements,  we  would 
not  hurt  them.  We  dallied  with  them  for  some  time, 
as  they  did  not  like  to  give  up  their  arms,  that  being 
the  last  thing  an  Indian  will  part  with.  But  at  last 
Colonel  Markham  gave  them  five  minutes  to  decide. 
Not  complying  with  his  order  the  colonel  gave  the 
order  for  our  company  to  attack.  The  Indians  re- 
turned the  fire  very  lively  for  some  time,  but  our 
men  pressed  them  so  hard  that  they  soon  silenced 
the  firing  of  the  Indians.  Those  of  them  that  were 
not  killed  retreated  into  a  cane  swamp  and  got  away. 
Casualties  on  our  side  were  small,  considering  the 
smartness  of  fire  of  the  Indians.  One  man  (Bishop 
Charles  Hancock)  was  slightly  wounded  in  the  head, 
and  one  horse  shot  in  the  hip.  The  Indians  being 
in  the  cane  and  in  the  swamp  dragged  their  dead 
in  there;  Consequently  we  could  not  tell  how  many 
were  killed. 

After  peace  was  made  they  told  us  we  only 
wounded  two  or  three;  but  they  reported  at  Nephi 
that  we  killed  nineteen  or  twenty  of  them. 

They  made  a  haul  of  sixty  or  seventy  head  of 
cattle  from  our  place  late  in  the  fall  and  during  the 
fore  part  of  the  winter,  while  the  cattle  were  running 
two  or  three  miles  up  the  creek  from  Palmyra;  the 
owners  thought  it  was  so  late  in  the  fall  that  there 
was  no  danger  of  Indians  disturbing  them ;  but  they 
nevertheless,  came  down  from  the  canyon  over  to 
Palmyra  and  took  some  out  of  our  corrals,  and  took 
all  they  could  find  up  the  creek  and  got  away  with 
them  to  Uintah  Valley.  After  peace  was  made  they 
returned  what  thev  had  not  killed  and  eaten. 


INDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS  53 

Illlllllllllllllll minimum: 1 1 1 1  MI  MIIMIII  IIIIIIIMMM  n  IIIIIMMIIIIIIIIIIMMIIIIIMI  iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin 

THE  WALKER  WAR  CONTINUED.    TREACHERY  OF 

THE  INDIANS. 
From  Whitney's  History  of  Utah,  Vol.  1,  p.  514. 

"On  July  18th,  1853,  Walker,  with  a  number  of 
warriors,  rode  down  to  Fort  Payson,  whose  inhabi- 
tants, thinking  no  evil,  received  the  red  men  kindly, 
and  as  usual  gave  them  food.  The  Indians  made  no 
hostile  movement  until  they  started  back  to  camp  in 
the  evening,  when  they  shot  and  killed  Alexander 
Keele,  who  was  standing  guard  near  the  fort.  Know- 
ing well  what  would  follow,  Arapeen  hastened  back 
to  his  brother  and  told  him  what  had  been  done. 

Walker  immediately  ordered  his  followers  to 
pack  their  wigwams  and  retreat  up  Payson  Canyon, 
which  they  did.  Several  families  of  settlers  were 
then  living  in  the  canyon.  Upon  these  the  savages 
fired  as  they  passed,  but  were  evidently  in  too  great  a 
hurry,  fearing  pursuit,  to  do  serious  execution. 

The  people  of  Payson  on  their  part,  expecting  a 
general  attack  from  the  Indians,  at  once  flew  to  arms. 
They  also  sent  messengers  to  Provo  to  apprise  the 
military  authorities  there  of  what  had  occurred,  and 
request  immediate  reinforcenient.  Colonel  Peter  W. 
Conover,  who  still  commanded  the  militia  in  Utah 
County,  hastily  gathered  about  a  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  and  proceeded  at  once  to  Payson.  He  arrived 
there  July  20th.  Troops  from  Spanish  Fork  and 
Springville  were  already  on  the  ground. 

A  council  of  war  convened,  consisting  of  Colonel 
Conover  and  his  associate  officers,  and  it  was  decid- 
ed to  follow  in  the  tracks  of  the  savages,  who,  it  was 
feared,  intended  to  attack  the  Sanpete  settlements. 
Leaving  the  infantry  to  garrison  the  Payson  fort,  the 


54  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

cavalry,  under  Colonel  Conover  and  Lieutenant 
Markliam,  at  once  set  out  for  Manti.  These  move- 
ments were  doubtless  in  accordance  with,  orders  from 
headquarters.  General  Daniel  H.  Wells,  at  Salt  Lake 
City,  having  been  apprised  of  the  situation,  had  dis- 
patched Lieutenant-Colonel  William  H.  Kimball  with 
a  hundred  mounted  men  to  join  Colonel  Conover  at 
Payson. 

Meantime,  simultaneous  attacks  had  been  made 
by  Indians  at  various  points. 

At  Springville,  in  a  second  assault  upon  that  set- 
tlement, William  Jolley  was  shot  and  wounded  in  the 
arm.  At  Nephi,  in  Juab  County,  cattle  were  stolen 
and  the  guard  fired  upon,  while  similar  depredations 
were  committed  at  Pleasant  Creek  and  Manti  in  San- 
pete  County.  (This  was  July  19th.) 

On  July  20th  the  Guard  at  Nephi,  Juab  County, 
was  fired  upon  by  Indians. 

Colonel  Conover,  on  reaching  Sanpete,  left  some 
of  his  men  at  each  settlement  to  protect  it  against 
the  Indians,  who  were  now  raiding  and  running  off 
stock  in  all  directions.  Arriving  at  Manti  and  secur- 
ing that  place  against  attack,  Conover 's  command 
divided  and  companies  were  sent  out  to  scour  the 
surrounding  country  in  quest  of  redskins.  One  of 
these  detachments,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Jabez 
Nowlin, — who  it  will  be  remembered  was  wounded 
in  the  two  days '  fight  at  Provo, — came  upon  a  band 
of  twenty  or  thirty  Indians  near  Pleasant  Creek  on 
the  23rd  of  July.  Being  hailed  by  an  interpreter  and 
asked  if  they  were  friends  or  foes,  the  savages 
admitted  that  they  were  enemies,  and  without  wait- 
ing to  be  attacked  fired  upon  the  troopers.  Nowlin 
then  ordered  a  charge,  and  the  Indians,  after  the 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  55 

Illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllltlllllllllllllllllll iiiiiiiinni in  inn  linn  mi  n  nun 

first  fire,  broke  and  fled,  leaving  six  or  seven  of 
their  number  dead  upon  the  field.  Nowlin's  com- 
pany sustained  no  loss. 

Colonel  Conovei*  now  dispatched  messengers  to 
request  further  orders  from  General  Wells.  The 
messengers  sent  were  Clark  Roberts  of  Provo,  and 
John  W.  Berry  of  Spanish  Fork.  Leaving  Manti  in 
the  afternoon  on  the  23rd,  they  reached  Summit 
Creek — Santaquin — in  Utah  County,  next  morning. 
They  found  the  place  deserted,  the  settlers,  fearing 
attack  and  massacre,  having  sought  safety  at  Payson. 
As  the  messengers  rode  through  the  town  they  were 
fired  upon  by  twenty-one  Indians  concealed  in  some 
houses.  Berry  was  shot  in  the  left  wrist,  and  Roberts 
through  the  shoulder.  Putting  spurs  to  their  horses 
they  rode  at  full  speed  toward  Payson,  hotly  pur- 
sued by  the  Indians,  from  whom,  however,  they  suc- 
ceeded in  escaping.'* 

COLONEL   GEORGE   A.   SMITH   GIVEN 
COMMAND  OF  THE  MILITIA. 

On  the  25th  of  July,  Colonel  George  A.  Smith 
was  given  command  of  all  the  militia  in  the  Territory 
south  of  Salt  Lake,  with  instructions  to  take  prompt 
and  thorough  measures  for  the  defense  and  safety 
of  the  various  settlements.  The  policy  he  was  di- 
rected by  Governor  Young  to  pursue  was  to  gather 
all  the  inhabitants  into  forts,  corralling  their  stock 
and  surrounding  it  with  armed  guards.  No  acts  of 
retaliation  or  offensive  warfare  upon  the  red  men 
were  to  be  permitted ;  but  on  the  contrary  a  concilia- 
tory course  towards  them  was  to  be  maintained.  At 
the  same  time  vigilant  watch  was  to  be  kept,  and 
such  Indians  as  were  caught  attempting  to  steal  or 


56  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

•niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiittiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiimiiiitiiiimiiiiii 

kill,  were  to  be  summarily  punished.  These  instruc- 
tions Colonel  Smith  executed  with  his  usual  fidelity, 
and  though  it  entailed  much  labor  upon  the  settlers 
to  put  themselves  in  a  proper  state  of  defense,  the 
wisdom  of  the  policy,  evident  at  the  outset,  was 
speedily  confirmed.  Those  who  failed  to  follow  the 
instructions  suffered  heavily  from  the  raids  of  the 
Indians. 

ATTACK  ON  WILLOW  CREEK,  (MONA). 
ISAAC  DUFFIN  WOUNDED. 

August  10th. — Lieutenant  R.  Burns  and  a  com- 
pany of  ten  men,  encamped  at  a  small  settlement  on 
Willow  Creek — Mona — in  Juab  County,  were  attack- 
ed by  Indians,  and  during  the  fight  that  followed, 
Isaac  Duffin  was  slightly  wounded  in  the  knee.  Two 
of  the  soldiers  had  their  horses  killed,  and  one  In- 
dian was  sent  to  the  "happy  hunting  grounds." 
About  this  time  Colonel  Conover  was  ordered  back 
from  Sanpete  to  guard  the  settlements  of  Utah 
County  and  assist  in  putting  them  in  better  condi- 
tion of  defense. 

AT  PARLEY'S  PARK,  TWO  MEN  KILLED, 
ONE  WOUNDED. 

On  the  17th  of  August,  four  men — John  Dixon, 
John  Quayle,  John  Hoagland  and  John  Knight, — 
were  hauling  lumber  from  Snyder's  saw-mill  in  Par- 
ley's Park,  when  they  were  fired  upon  by  Indians  in 
ambush  and  two  of  them  instantly  killed.  These 
were  John  Quayle  and  John  Dixon.  Hoagland  was 
wounded  in  the  arm,  but  was  able  to  help  Knight 
detach  two  of  their  horses,  upon  which  they  rode  with 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  57 

liliiiiiilinliiliiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiMiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiiimliiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiMi 

all  speed  to  Salt  Lake  City.  Barely  escaping  with 
their  lives ;  they  left  their  wagon,  four  horses,  two 
mules,  and  the  dead  bodies  of  their  companions  be- 
hind them.  Their  savage  assailants  did  not  linger 
long  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  massacre,  not  even 
long  enough  to  scalp  or  otherwise  mutilate  the  dead, 
according  to  their  custom.  Taking  the  animals  they 
hastily  decamped,  and  though  followed  by  an  armed 
party  from  Salt  Lake  City,  as  soon  as  the  news  of 
the  killing*  reached  there,  they  were  nowhere  to  be 
found,  though  diligently  sought  for  in  all  the  sur- 
rounding region.  Another  John  Dickson,  the  spell- 
ing of  whose  name  slightly  differs  from  that  of  the 
other  man  killed  in  Parley's  Canyon,  had  been  shot 
by  Indians  near  Snyder's  Mill  a  short  time  before. 

The  situation  now  became  so  serious  that  travel- 
ing from  settlement  to  settlement,  unless  accom- 
panied by  a  strong  guard,  was  extremely  perilous. 

Though  the  Utah  Indians  had  taken  the  initia- 
tive, other  tribes  or  parts  of  tribes  were  also  begin- 
ning to  engage  in  the  war,  shooting  and  stealing 
stock  in  various  section  of  the  Territory.  Governor 
Young,  on  the  19th  of  August,  issued  a  proclama- 
tion forbidding  the  sale  of  fire-arms  and  ammuni- 
tion to  the  Utah  Indians  and  calling  upon  the  offi- 
cers of  the  militia  in  the  several  districts  to  hold  their 
commands  in  readiness  to  march  at  any  moment 
against  the  murderous  marauders. 

Colonel  George  A.  Smith  returned  to  Salt  Lake 
City  from  Iron  County  on  the  22nd  of  August.  He 
reported  that  the  southern  settlements  generally 
were  in  an  excellent  state  of  defense,  and  that  the 
inhabitants  were  on  the  alert  in  relation  to  the  sava- 


58  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


ges.  He  had  been  assisted  in  his  labors  by  Apostle 
Franklin  D.  Richards,  who  was  traveling  through 
southern  Utah  on  public  business,  and  returned  north 
with  Colonel  Smith.  Two  days  later  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  William  H.  Kimball,  who  had  also  rendered 
important  service  in  Iron  County,  came  back  from 
the  south.  He  and  his  men  had  been  followed  closely 
and  watched  by  Indians  for  several  days,  but  heed- 
ing the  Governor's  instructions  they  had  not  taken 
the  offensive,  and  the  savages,  seeing  that  they  were 
prepared,  did  not  attack  them. 

As  a  means  of  defense  and  an  example  to  other 
settlements  during  the  Indian  troubles  of  1853,  the 
authorities  at  Salt  Lake  City  decided  to  build  a 
"Spanish  Wall"  around  the  town.  The  project  was 
first  mentioned  by  President  Young  in  a  meeting  of 
the  Bishops  held  at  the  Council  House  in  the  latter 
part  of  August.  The  City  Council  then  took  up  tho 
matter  and  the  same  month  a  committee  consisting 
of  Albert  Carrington,  Parley  P.  Pratt  and  Franklin 
D.  Richards  submitted  a  report  to  the  council  sug- 
gesting the  line  of  the  proposed  wall  around  the  city. 
It  was  to  stand  twelve  feet  high  and  be  six  foet 
through  the  base,  tapering  to  a  thickness,  half  way 
up,  of  two-and-a-half  feet,  and  preserving  the  same 
thickness  to  the  summit.  Gates  and  bastions  were  to 
be  placed  at  suitable  intervals,  and  the  wall,  which 
was  to  be  built  entirely  of  earth,  wis  to  be  about  nine 
miles  long.  It  was  never  completed,  but  fragments 
of  the  portion  finished  may  yet  be  seen  on  the  north- 
ern outskirts  of  the  city,  a  reminder  of  the  early  days 
that  witnessed  its  erection.  Subsequently  many  of 
the  outlying  settlements  of  the  Territory  built  simi- 
lar walls  for  their  protection. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  59 


WILLIAM    HATTON    KILLED    WHILE 
STANDING  GUARD  AT  FILLMORE. 

Still  the  Indian  war  went  on.  At  Fillmore,  on 
the  13th  day  of  September,  William  Hatton,  while 
standing  guard,  was  shot  and  killed  by  the  savages — 
Pah-vants — who,  catching  from  the  Utes  the  infec- 
tion of  the  hour,  had  begun  stealing  and  killing  in 
that  locality. 

COL.  MARKHAM'S  BRUSH  AT  GOSHEN. 
C.  B.  HANCOCK  WOUNDED. 

On  September  26th,  Colonel  Steven  Markham 
and  his  men  had  a  brush  with  the  redskins  near  Go- 
shen,  Utah  County,  in  which  C.  B.  Hancock  was 
wounded,  and  a  number  of  Indians  killed.  Six  days 
later,  in  another  skirmish  at  Nephi,  eight  more  sav- 
ages were  slain  and  two  or  three  captured. 

THE  GUNNISON  MASSACRE. 

Copied  from  (Lights  and  Shadows  of  Mormonism) 
by  J.  F.  Gibbs. 

' '  The  attention  of  the  traveler  on  the  road  from 
Deseret,  Millard  County,  Utah  to  Nevada,  will  very 
likely  be  drawn  toward  a  cedar  post  that  occupies  an 
unusual  position  a  few  rods  north  of  the  Sevier 
River,  and  a  hundred  feet  from  the  east  side  of  a 
shallow  lake.  The  place,  which  covers  about  ten  acres 
is  about  six  miles  west  of  Deseret,  Millard  County, 
Utah,  with  no  habitation  within  several  miles.  The 
rough  bark  has  been  removed  from  the  post,  other- 
wise there  is  nothing  in  its  appearance  to  attract  at- 
tention except  its  isolated  position.  Yet,  the  spot 
over  which  that  solitary  post  stands  sentinel  is  his- 


60  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

Illlllllllllllllllll 11111:111 miiiiitiiiiMMiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiii nit iiiiiiiniii iiiiniiiiiiiiiniiiii 

toric  and  tragic — it  is  the  burial  place  of  a  small 
party  of  employees  of  the  United  States,  where. 
over  forty  years  ago,  Captain  Grunnison  and  a  por- 
tion of  his  military  escort  fell  easy  victims  to  a 
band  of  revengeful  Indians. 

"The  memorable  spot  is  situated  nearly  midway 
in  the  Pahvant  valley,  about  thirty  miles  west  of  the 
Canyon  range,  and  twenty-five  miles  east  of  the 
House  mountains. 

"Except  where  narrowed  in  by  encroaching 
mountains,  the  valley  stretches  out  in  an  almost  un- 
broken plain  to  the  great  Salt  Lake,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  distant  to  the  north. 

"About  two  miles  to  the  south,  the  monotony  of 
the  desert-like  plain  is  relieved  by  a  basaltic  mesa,  & 
dark  volcanic  mass  which  rises  abruptly  from  the 
level  country  to  a  height  of  perhaps  two  hundred 
feet,  the  surface  of  which  was  swept  by  the  waves  of 
ancient  Lake  Bonneville,  until  it  is  nearly  as  smooth 
as  the  surrounding  plain. 

'  *  Dotting  the  valley  in  the  vicinity  are  numerous 
shallow  lakes,  formed  by  the  overflow  of  the  Sevier 
Eiver  whose  sinuous  trails  across  the  valley  is  in- 
dicated by  patches  of  scrub  willows. 

"The  small  lake  first  mentioned,  is  separated 
from  the  river  by  a  small  strip  of  ground  occupied 
by  grass  and  willows  which  abound  in  the  immediate 
vicinity,  both  sides  of  the  river  (  which  is  only  four  to 
six  rods  wide)  being  fringed  with  them.  Rising  grad- 
ually from  the  lake  towards  the  north  and  east,  the 
ground  is  three  to  five  feet  higher  than  the  surface 
of  the  water,  and  is  covered  with  a  stunted  growth 
of  grease  wood  and  shadscale,  (the  local  name  given 
to  a  low-growing  thorny  shrub).  Patches  of  saline 


61 


land  glisten  in  the  sunlight,  and  under  the  transform- 
ations wrought  by  the  western  mirage  are  often  mis- 
taken for  bodies  of  water. 

"At  the  time  of  the  massacre  the  present  lake 
was  marshy  ground  covered  with  flags,  rushes  and  a 
rank  growth  of  grass  which  extended  well  out  to- 
wards the  higher  ground,  thus  forming  an  inviting, 
but  dangerous  nook.  At  the  present  time  nothing  re- 
mains of  the  willows  on  the  east  and  west  sides  of 
the  dead  swamps. 

In  other  respects  the  place  and  its  surroundings 
have  nearly  the  same  appearance  as  on  that  fateful 
afternoon  when  Captain  Gunnison  went  into  camp 
for  the  last  time. 

"The  scene  of  the  tragedy  has  been  thus  min- 
utely described  to  enable  the  reader  to  more  clearly 
understand  why  the  Captain  whose  reputation  for 
courage  has  never  been  questioned — and  his  little 
band  of  brave  companions  failed  to  make  even  a  sem- 
blance of  resistance,  and  because  no  description  of 
the  place  has  heretofore  appeared  in  print.  Cap- 
tain Gunnison 's  brother,  when  the  locality  was  de- 
scribed to  him  several  years  ago  in  Salt  Lake  City, 
said  he  had  always  imagined  the  place  to  be  in,  or 
near,  the  mouth  of  the  canyon  from  which  the  river 
debouched  upon  the  plain. 

"In  the  year  of  the  massacre,  1853,  Fillmore, 
was  the  capital  of  Utah,  and  the  nearest  settlement 
to  the  scene  of  the  tragedy,  being  distant  thirty-fivo 
miles  southeasterly.  A  few  of  the  old  settlers  yet  re- 
main who  remember  the  occurrence.  Among  the  old- 
timers  is  Byron  Warner,  now  residing  at  Oasis,  and 
who  is  not  only  familiar  with  the  incidents  of  the 


62  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

limiiimiiimmimiiiMlimimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiimm i  n  IMIK  1 1 1  IIMIMIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIII  ill  IIMII  I  lull: 

tragedy,  and  well  acquainted  with  the  Indians  who 
participated  therein,  but  with  the  circumstances  of 
which  the  Gunnison  massacre  was  the  unhappy  re- 
sult. 

"And  it  is  to  Mr.  Warner  that  the  writer  is  most 
deeply  indebted  for  that  part  of  the  account  of  the 
unfortunate  occurrence. 

"Mr.  Warner's  statement  has  been  corroborated 
by  Daniel  Thompson,  now  residing  at  Scipio,  and 
who  in  company  with  Mr.  Warner  and  others,  helped 
to  bury  the  dead.  But  three  of  the  Indians  that  were 
present  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  bloody  deed 
yet  linger  on  this  side  of  the  "happy  hunting 
grounds."  One  of  them  is  old  Mareer,  who,  with  his 
squaw  Mary,  and  old  Sam,  another  of  the  surviving 
reds,  is  living  in  a  wickiup  on  some  otherwise  vacant 
ground  southwest  of  Deseret.  By  the  aid  of  two 
rough  maps  placed  before  Mareer  on  two  separate 
days,  and  with  the  assistance  of  some  small  coins  and 
other  presents  of  tobacco,  etc,  and  after  assuring  the 
old  fellow  that  the  Mericats  (Americans)  wouldn't 
be  mad,  the  story  of  the  attack  was  drawn  from  him. 

"That  his  story  is  perfectly  truthful  is  proved 
by  the  fact  that  at  the  second  interview  a  new  map 
was  spread  before  him  and  the  relative  positions  of 
the  white  men  and  Indians  were  accurately  indicated 
as  compared  with  the  first  map,  and  no  amount  of 
cross-questioning  could  shake  his  clear  and  vivid  de- 
scription of  the  attack  and  its  blood-curdling  details. 

"Early  in  October,  1853,  a  company  of  Missouri 
emigrants,  en  route  to  California,  passed  through 
Fillmore  and  camped  on  Meadow  Creek,  eight  miles 
to  the  southwest. 

"A  small  band  of  Pahvant  Indians  were  also 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  63 

•  mimnm  inn  I  n  in  n i  in  nun MIIIIIII in mil  M  11  in  null  n  I  iiiiiiinii  iiiiiiunii  Ullillilliiiiliii 

camped  further  up  towards  the  mountains  on  the 
same  creek  as  the  emigrant  train. 

"Anson  Call  was  at  that  time  bishop  of  Fill- 
more,  and  when  the  emigrants  passed  through,  told 
them  they  would  find  a  few  of  the  reds  camped  on 
Meadow  Creek,  that  they  were  friendly,  and  the  com- 
pany need  have  no  apprehension  of  danger,  and 
asked  that  the  Indians  be  not  molested. 

"The  train  had  hardly  gone  into  camp 
when  Moshoquop — (the  Pahvant  war  chief — and  his 
father,  Mareer)  and  several  others  of  the  band,  ar- 
rived at  the  camp  of  the  strangers  and  offered  to 
"swap"  buckskins  for  tobacco  and  other  articles. 

"The  emigrants  were  unnecessarily  suspicious 
of  the  bows  and  arrows  carried  by  the  Indians,  for 
they  surrounded  the  reds  and  attempted  to  disarm 
them.  The  Indians  resisted  what  they  regarded  as 
an  unwarranted  intrusion  of  their  rights.  One  of 
them  "jabbed"  an  arrow  into  the  breast  of  one  of 
the  emigrants,  which  so  enraged  them  that,  whipping 
out  their  revolvers,  they  opened  fire  on  the  Indians. 
In  the  melee,  the  father  of  Moshoquop  was  shot  in  the 
side  and  died  the  next  day.  Two  of  the  other  Indians 
were  wounded,  one  in  the  shoulder  and  the  other  in 
the  arm.  Of  the  white  men  all  escaped  injury  except 
the  one  who  received  the  slight  wound  in  the  breast 
form  the  arrow  thrust. 

"A  few  days  after  his  father's  death,  Mosho- 
quop and  a  band  of  about  twenty  Indians  moved 
northwesterly  to  the  vicinty  of  the  lakes  near  the 
present  site  of  Desert  for  the  purpose,  as  Mareer 
said,  of  hunting  ducks,  and  crossing  the  Sevier  River, 
camped  a  little  to  the  northwest  of  the  site  of  the 
present  residence  of  David  Crafts  at  Ingersol,  and 


64  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


Ill linn 


about  twelve  miles  northeast  of  Sevier  Lake,  and  six 
miles  west  of  the  place  where  Gunnison  and  his  party 
were  afterwards  murdered. 

There  were  six  wicki-ups,  or  tepees,  and  among 
the  band  were  many  Indians  whose  names  are  fami- 
liar to  the  old  residents  of  Millard  County.  They 
are:  Moshoquop,  Pants  (the  brother  of  Moshoquop), 
Mareer  and  his  brother  Jim,  Carboorits,  Nunkibo- 
olits,  Tomwants  and  his  son  Koonants,  Skipoke, 
"Doctor  Jacob,"  Wahbits,  Moab,  Sam,  (Toady), 
Hunkootoop,  Boquobits,  and  an  unusually  tricky 
red,  Jimmy  Knights,  well  known  to  the  early  stock- 
raisers  by  his  thieving  propensities  and  the  boldness 
he  exhibited  in  killing  their  stock. 

There  were  also  in  the  band  two  Snake  Valley 
Indians,  a  Ute  buck  from  Nephi,  one  whose  name  can- 
not be  learned,  and  the  father  of  Mareer;  in  all,  a 
band  of  twenty-three  warriors. 

During  the  year  1853,  Captain  Gunnison,  with  a 
small  military  escort  under  command  of  Captain 
B.  M.  Morris,  had  been  exploring  for  a  railroad  route 
through  the  Eocky  Mountains ;  in  the  latter  part  of 
October,  Gunnison  and  his  escort  entered  Pahvant 
valley  from  the  north  and  camped  on  Pioneer  creek, 
six  mies  north  of  Fillmore.  Gunnison,  with  a  few  of 
his  party,  went  into  the  small  settlement  of  Fillmore 
for  supplies.  The  captain  lost  no  time  in»  hunting 
up  Mr.  Call,  with  whom  he  was  acquainted,  a  warm 
friendship  having  existed  between  them  for  several 
years,  and  from  him  learned  of  the  killing  of  Mosho- 
quop 's  father  by  the  emigrants  a  few  days  previous. 
Mr.  Call  also  warned  the  captain  of  probable  danger, 
as  the  Indians,  with  threats  of  revenge,  had  left  their 
camp  at  Meadow  Creek,  Gunnison  expressed  sorrow 


Portrait    of    General    Daniel    H.    Wells,    Com- 
mander  of   Nauvoo    Legion   and   Utah   Militia. 


BRIG.     GEN.     WM.     BYRAM    PACE, 
Commander    Utah     Militia     led    the    battle 


~~ 


GENERAL  ERASTUS 
SNOW 


COL.  JOHN  R.  WINDER 


i:i  DKI;  ORSOX  HYDE,  Apostle 

:*]'r. n:c    City.    Siinpete    County. 


COL. 
HEBER  P.   KIMBAI.L 


COL.    CEO.    A.    SMITH 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  65 

mil iiiiiiiiMiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiimiiiiiiiiimiiiiiitiiiiiiiimiiiiimiMimiiiiiiiiiii 

over  the  unfortunate  affair,  and  said  the  Indians 
would  very  likely  carry  out  their  threats  at  the  first 
opportunity.  Being  so  near  the  Sevier  Lake — the 
dead  sea  of  Millard  County — Gunnison  resolved  to 
explore  it  and  then  to  go  on  to  Salt  Lake  City  and 
establish  winter  quarters. 

Breaking  camp  on  pioneer  creek,  the  party  pro- 
ceeded a  few  miles  north  to  the  present  site  of  Holden 
where  they  left  the  territorial  road  and  bore  north- 
westerly. Passing  the  southern  termination  of  the 
Canyon  range,  the  party  continued  on  over  the  desert 
to  the  Sevier  River  and  camped  on  a  large  bottom 
surrounded  by  high,  precipitous  banks,  known  at  the 
present  time  as  Gunnison 's  Bend,  and  situated  about 
five  miles  northeast  of  Deseret. 

On  the  morning  of  October  25th  Captain  Gun- 
nison started  on  his  last  and  fatal  mission  of  explora- 
tion. Accompanying  him  were  R.  A.  Kern,  artist 
and  topographer;  F.  Creutzfeldts,  botanist;  Wm. 
Potter,  a  Mormon  guide  and  interpreter  from  Manti, 
Sanpete  County,  Utah;  a  man  who  served  as  cook; 
a  corporal  and  six  men. 

The  provisions  and  camp  outfit  were  packed  on 
an  improvised  cart,  the  tongue  and  front  wheels  of  a 
wagon  which  was  well  adapted  to  the  purpose.  Cap- 
tain Morris  and  a  part  of  the  escort  were  to  continue 
in  camp  until  the  return  of  the  Gunnison  party. 
Meanwhile  some  of  Morris's  men  were  to  examine 
the  northwestern  part  of  the  valley  as  to  the  feasi- 
bility of  a  wagon  road  through  to  the  Great  Salt 
Lake. 

Following  down  the  north  side  of  the  river  in  a 
southwesterly  direction,  the  Gunnison  party  arrived 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  upper  lakes,  where  some  of  the 


66  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


men  began  shooting  at  wild  fowl  which  fairly  swarm- 
ed in  that  vicinity.  The  firing  was  most  unfortu- 
nate, as  the  reports  of  firearms  reached  the  ears  of 
Sam  and  Toady,  two  of  Moshoquop's  dusky  band, 
who  were  hunting  ducks  along  the  river  and  sloughs. 
The  Indians  watched  the  little  party  until  they  went 
into  camp  on  the  ground  now  marked  by  the  cedar 
post,  when  they  hastened  to  the  Indian  camp  and 
reported  the  presence  of  strangers. 

Wm.  Potter,  the  guide  advised  the  Captain  to  make 
camp  further  to  the  north  on  open  and  higher  ground. 
His  familiarity  with  the  traits  of  the  Indians  led  him 
to  be  suspicious  of  the  surroundings,  but  his  prudent 
advise  was  overruled.  There  is  something  in  the 
nature  of  men  that  impels  them,  when  camping  near 
a  spring  or  stream  of  water,  to  get  as  near  to  it  as 
practicable. 

The  horses  were  "picketed"  along  the  margin  of 
the  swamp  to  the  north  and  northwest,  and  after  the 
usual  camp  duties  were  over,  and  the  last  of  the 
stories  of  exciting  Western  life  had  been  told,  the 
little  party  spread  their  blankets  on  the  ground  and 
retired  for  the  night  with  no  apprehension  of  the 
terrible  fate  that  awaited  them.  On  receiving  the 
news  of  the  white  men,  Moshoquop  determined  to 
avenge  the  death  of  his  father.  Calling  his  band  of 
warriors  together,  he  told  them  his  purpose  and  ex- 
plained in  detail  the  plan  of  attack  which  was  to  begin 
at  the  firing  of  a  signal  gun.  Each  warrior  was  in- 
structed as  to  the  position  he  would  occupy  in  the 
deadly  cordon  that  was  to  be  drawn  around  the  slum- 
bering explorers.  It  was  about  midnight  when  the 
line  of  march  began.  In  single  file  they  moved  silent- 
ly and  swiftly  forward,  and  as  the  dusky  line  glided 


67 


in  a  sinuous  course  to  avoid  clumps  of  stunted 
grease-wood  and  willows  it  resembled  the  lithe 
movements  of  a  huge  serpent. 

The  reds  followed  up  the  north  bank  of  the  river 
until  they  reached  the  western  margin  of  the  swamp 
which  separated  them  from  their  victims,  where 
the  band  divided.  Moshoquop,  Pants,  Mareer,  Nun- 
kiboolits  and  several  others  continued  on  up  the 
river  bank.  Stealthily  creeping  through  the  willows 
and  tall  grass,  the  Indians  took  their  pre-arranged 
stations  to  the  south  and  east  of  the  Gunnison  party 
and  not  over  one  hundred  feet  distant. 

The  white  men  had  beaten  quite  a  distinct  trail 
from  their  camp  to  the  river.  Carboorits  skulked 
in  the  grass  a  few  yards  west  of  the  trail  on  the  bank 
of  the  river,  while  Pants  crept  to  a  position  on  the 
margin  of  the  swamp,  and  not  over  thirty  yards 
distant  from  the  smouldering  camp-fire;  each  sav- 
age being  concealed  in  the  rank  grass  and  willows. 

The  other  portion  of  the  band  skirted  the  west 
side  of  the  swamp,  and  bending  easterly,  cautiously 
crept  to  the  north  of  the  low  lying  ridge  which  is 
not  more  than  five  feet  higher  than  the  marsh. 
Each  Indian  took  the  position  previously  assigned 
him,  and  before  the  faintest  streak  of  dawn  ap- 
peared, the  doomed  explorers  were  nearly  sur- 
rounded by  the  wily  savages  who  occupied  the  east, 
north  and  south  sides  of  the  camp,  while  the  marsh 
cut  off  escape  on  the  west.  The  first  sign  of  activity 
on  the  part  of  the  white  men  occurred  just  before 
sunrise.  The  cook  was  the  first  to  arise,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  the  cheery  gleam  of  the  camp-fire  shot 
upward,  warning  the  men  that  no  time  was  to  be 


68  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


11.11  I  I  Illltll I  I  II  I Illl lltl I  II  I Illllll 


wasted  in  preparing  for  the  morning  meal.  The 
iron  tripod  had  been  placed  over  the  fire,  the  camp 
kettle  hung  in  its  position,  the  cook  had  begun  mix- 
ing bread.  Prof  Creutzfeldt  was  standing  near  the 
camp-fire  warming  himself,  Captain  Gunnison  had 
walked  out  to  the  river,  about  seventy-five  feet  south 
from  the  camp-fire,  and  while  in  a  sitting  position, 
was  bathing  his  hands  and  face.  The  sun  had  just 
risen  from  behind  the  distant  canyon  range  when 
Pants  stealthily  rose  from  his  place  of  concealment 
near  the  edge  of  the  swamp,  a  sharp  report  rang  out 
on  the  crisp  air  and  the  cook  fell  dead  beside  his 
camp-fire. 

Carboorits  had  been  watching  the  captain  and 
waiting  for  the  deadly  signal.  Startled  by  the  report, 
Gunnison  sprang  to  his  feet  and  the  bullet  from  Car- 
boorits '  gun  sped  past  him.  Quickly  pulling  his  six- 
shooter,  the  captain  opened  fire  on  his  copper- 
colored  assailant,  who  ducked  and  dodged  to  escape 
injury.  The  signal  gun  was  followed  by  the  rapid 
firing  of  nearly  a  dozen  guns  intermingled  by  the 
piercing  war-whoop  of  the  savages. 

The  surprise  was  complete,  and  the  dazed  of- 
ficers and  men  thought  only  of  escape.  Amid  the 
shower  of  whizzing  arrows  which  followed  the  empty- 
ing of  the  guns,  the  men  ran  toward  the  open  ground 
to  the  north  and  northeast,  and  in  the  desperate  race 
for  life,  threw  aside  their  arms  and  divested  them- 
selves of  coats  and  everything  that  might  impede 
their  flight. 

A  few  of  the  men  fled  in  the  direction  of  the 
horses.  One  of  the  soldiers,  as  he  was  about  to 
mount,  caught  sight  of  an  Indian  as  he  was  adjusting 
an  arrow  to  his  bow.  With  exceptional  coolness  the 


69 


man  quickly  lowered  his  gun  on  the  savage  and  fired. 
The  Indian  dropped,  and  the  soldier  rode  away  be- 
lieving he  had  killed  him.  (Old  Mareer  says  the 
wily  redskin  fell  as  the  gun  fired,  and  escaped  with- 
out injury,  and  that  not  an  Indian  was  wounded), 
Two  others  of  the  escort  succeeded  in  mounting,  one 
of  them  escaped  on  horesback,  the  other  was  thrown 
from  his  horse  a  short  distance  east  of  the  camp,  but 
had  the  good  sense  to  remain  quiet  for  several  hours 
while  the  reds  were  passing  to  and  fro,  sheltered  only 
by  the  stunted  greasewood.  The  fourth  man  that 
escaped  ran  southeasterly,  evaded  his  pursuers,  and 
plunged  into  the  river,  swam  to  the  south  bank, 
where,  within  the  friendly  shadow  of  the  willows,  he 
continued  his  flight  to  the  camp  of  Captain  Morris. 

The  Indians  who  had  taken  positions  to  the  north 
made  no  sign  until  the  fleeing  men  were  nearly  onto 
them,  when  they  sprang  to  their  feet  and  with  fierce 
yells  poured  a  volley  of  arrows  into  the  panic-strick- 
en men,  who,  no  doubt,  were  congratulating  them- 
selves on  their  escape. 

Captain  Gunnison,  after  emptying  his  revolver 
at  Carboorits,  turned  in  the  direction  of  the  horses 
and  had  reached  a  point  about  seventy-five  yards 
distant  from  the  camp  when  he  fell,  stricken  down 
by  nearly  a  score  of  arrows.  Temporarily  screened 
by  grass  and  willows,  he  lay  helpless  while  the  cries 
of  his  comrades  and  the  discordant  war-cries-  of 
the  savages  resounded  in  his  ears.  Some  two  or  three 
hours  later  he  was  discovered  by  a  party  of  the  reds, 
among  whom  was  Mareer,  and  who  described  in  pan- 
tomime the  last  act  of  the  terrible  tragedy.  Gunni- 
son was  lying  on  his  side,  and  when  the  Indians  ap- 
peared, slowly  and  painfully  raised  himself  to  a  Lit- 


70  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

iiiiiiiiiiiititiiittmiimmiiitiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii 

ting  posture.  He  made  no  sound,  but  reached  out 
his  arms  in  an  appealing  manner  towards  his  as- 
sailants. 

Gunnison,  in  his  several  years  of  exploring  in 
the  west,  had  endeavored  to  impress  upon  the  red 
men  that  he  was  their  friend.  In  his  conduct  to- 
wards them  he  was  uniformly  kind  and  upright,  and 
it  was  this  fact  that  probably  prompted  the  captain 
to  extend  his  arms,  possibly,  with  the  hope  of  mercy. 

Mareer  said  he  did  not  know,  until  he  saw  the 
captain  partly  rise  from  the  ground,  that  he  was 
with  the  party.  Moshoquop  was  not  present  or  he 
might,  possibly,  have  given  Gunnison  a  chance  to 
recover  from  his  wounds.  As  it  was,  the  Indians 
hesitated,  the  captain's  mute  appeal  seemed  to  stir 
some  latent  feeling,  or  strike  a  stranger  cord  in  their 
savage  natures.  But  while  standing  there  undecided 
"Jimmy  Knights,"  the  renegade  Indian,  came  up, 
discharged  his  gun  into  Captain  Gunnison 's  body 
which  settled  slowly  back  upon  the  sward,  and  one 
of  the  bravest  and  best  spirits  joined  his  comrades 
in  the  mysterious  beyond. 

During  the  afternoon  of  the  day  of  the  tragedy, 
one  of  the  fugitives  staggered  into  the  camp  of  Cap- 
tain Morris  and  told  the  story  of  the  attack,  and 
stated  that  all  but  himself  were  slain.  In  a  few  min- 
utes the  two  who  had  escaped  on  horses  arrived  and 
corroborated  the  story  of  the  massacre. 

Hurriedly  mounting,  the  Morris  party  rode 
down  the  river.  Darkness  coming  on,  they  dismount- 
ed in  the  vicinty  of  their  lifeless  comrades,  and  hold- 
ing their  horses  by  the  bridles,  kept  vigil  throughout 
the  long  night  which  was  rendered  more  dismal  by 
the  howling  of  the  wolves  which  had  begun  the  work 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  71 

of  mutilating  the  bodies  of  the  slain.  In  the  dim  light 
of  the  early  morning,  one  of  the  survivors  guided 
Captain  Morris  to  the  camp  ground,  the  bodies  were 
identified  and  their  positions  mentally  recorded. 

The  dreary  night  had  been  a  severe  strain  on 
the  men,  and  the  spectacle  of  the  mutilated  bodies 
of  their  friends  was  so  terrible  and  suggestive  as 
to  completely  unnerve  them.  The  stampede  that 
ensued  was  more  like  that  of  men  pursued  by  the  bul- 
lets and  yells  of  those  who  had  made  the  previous 
morning  memorable  by  their  savagery  than  a  com- 
pany of  armed  men  leaving  behind  them  the  forms 
of  their  stricken  comrades.  Overcoats,  knapsacks, 
carbines,  revolvers  and  ammunition  marked  the 
trail  of  their  frenzied  flight  and  added  to  the  booty 
previously  secured  by  the  Indians. 

The  news  of  the  massacre  reached  Fillmore,  and 
Bishop  Anson  Call  sent  Daniel  Thompson,  William 
and  Culbert  King,  to  Salt  Lake  City  with  a  dispatch 
announcing  the  deplorable  event. 

Meanwhile,  Captain  Morris  and  remnant  of  his 
command  had  reached  Salt  Lake  City,  and  sent  the 
corporal  who,  twenty-four  hours  after  the  massacre, 
went  over  the  ground  and  helped  to  identify  the  re- 
mains, down  to  Fillmore.  On  his  arrival,  some  ten 
days  after  the  tragedy,  Bishop  Call  selected  Geo-.are 
Black,  Daniel  Thompson,  John  King,  Lewis  Barthol- 
omew, Byron  Warner,  and  as  Mr.  Warner  believes 
Nelson  Crandall,  now  of  Springville,  Chief  Kanosh 
and  Narrient  of  the  Pahvant  tribe  to  go  with  them 
to  the  scene  of  the  massacre. 

Messrs  Warner  and  Thompson  describe  the 
sight  as  the  most  pitiable  they  ever  saw.  About 
twelve  days  had  elapsed  between  the  morning  of  tho 


72  INDIAN  DEPBEDATIONS 

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiimmmiimMH niiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiini iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniii in 

massacre  and  the  arrival  of  the  burial  party.  The 
coyotes  had  so  mutilated  the  dead  that  nothing  re- 
mained of  the  small  party  of  explorers  but  glisten- 
ing skeletons.  In  some  instances  a  leg,  arm  or  foot 
could  not  be  found.  The  remains  of  Potter  were 
nearly  intact.  Those  of  Captain  Gunnison  were 
more  readily  recognized  by  the  iron  gray  hair  which 
clung  to  his  temples.  The  remains  of  Prof.  Creutz- 
feldt  were  found  near  those  of  the  cook,  who  was  the 
first  to  perish.  A  steel-pointed  arrow  had  pierced 
the  body  of  Creutzfeldt  and  the  barb  was  found  im- 
bedded in  his  backbone.  Some  of  the  men  had  reach- 
ed a  distance  of  about  one  third  of  a  mile  to  the  north 
east  before  being  killed. 

Immediately  after  the  arrival  of  the  Fillmore 
party,  Kanosh  sent  Narrient  down  the  river  in  search 
of  Moshoquop  and  his  band,  and  gave  orders  to  come 
in  if  they  could  be  found. 

In  those  days  not  a  member  of  the  Pahvant  tribe 
dared  to  disobey  the  intrepid  chief,  and  as  Mr.  Call 
and  his  party  were  rounding  up  the  top  of  the  com- 
mon grave,  Moshoquop  and  his  band  came  in  sight 
across  the  swamp  on  their  ponies.  Circling  the 
marsh  they  came  on  whipping,  kicking  and  leaning 
from  side  to  side  and  yelling  like  demons.  The  reds 
were  in  their  war  paint,  and  with  their  long  black 
hair  streaming  behind,  presented  a  wild  appearance. 

The  corporal,  who  was  not  acquainted  with  the 
absolute  power  wielded  by  the  Indian  chiefs,  thought 
another  massacre  would  be  perpetrated,  and  trem- 
bled like  an  aspen.  Mr.  Warner,  who  is  a  very  ner- 
vy man,  and  accustomed  to  the  ways. of  the  Indians, 
says  his  sensations  were  anything  but  agreeable. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  73 

IIIIMIMIIUIIMIIlllHllmlllllllltllllllllMIIIIIMMIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIlmmiMlllllllllllmllllllllllllllllllllll 

However,  when  within  a  few  rods  of  the  scene  of 
their  murderous  work,  a  motion  from  Kanosh 
caused  them  to  be  quiet,  when  he  upbraided  them  for 
their  devilish  work. 

Moshoquop  then  told  the  partial  story  of  the 
massacre,  and  endeavored  to  exonerate  himself  by 
relating  the  circumstances  of  his  father's  death  at 
the  hands  of  the  white  men.  Mr.  Warner  asserts 
that  during  the  recital,  tears  streamed  from  Mosho- 
quop's  eyes  and  that  his  appearance  was  a  mixture 
of  fiend  incarnate  and  savage  affection. 

The  remains  of  Captain  Gunnison  and  Wm.  Pot- 
ter were  wrapped  in  blankets  and  taken  to  Fillmore 
where  the  captain  was  buried ;  those  of  Potter  were 
sent  to  Manti  for  interment. 

Of  the  three  surviving  Indians,  Carboorits,  who 
shot  at  the  Captain,  has  lost  his  eyesight,  and  is  end- 
ing his  days  in  darkness  on  the  Indian  farm  near  the 
town  of  Kanosh.  Mareer  and  Sam,  as  previously 
stated,  are  living  near  Deseret.  Mareer  is  fast  has- 
tening to  the  grave,  and  Sam  is  a  muttering  imbe- 
cile. 

Moshoquop  died  two  years  ago  in  Deseret.  He 
was  of  medium  stature,  compactly  built,  and  as  lithe 
and  wiry  as  a  pather.  His  forehead  was  high  and 
retreating,  his  bearing  reserved  and  dignified,  his 
face,  while  indicating  strength  and  a  fearloss  nature, 
was  frank  and  not  unkind.  In  spite  of  the  terrible 
deed  he  planned  and  carried  out  so  relentlessly,  he 
was  better  than  the  average  Indian.  While  his  part  in 
the  Gunnison  tragedy  cannot  be  justified  by  revenge 
for  the  death  of  his  father,  it  is  somewhat  palliated 
by  reflecting  that  his  nature — like  that  of  all  other 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


Indians — was  the  result  of  generations  of  trasinis- 
sion  of  ideas  and  customs  incident  to  the  environ- 
ment of  the  red  men. 


FOUR  MEN  KILLED  AT  UINTAH  SPRINGS, 
SANPETE  COUNTY. 

On  September  30th,  1853,  a  party  of  four  men, 
William  Reed,  James  Nelson,  William  Luke  and 
Thomas  Clark,  started  from  Manti,  Sanpete  County, 
with  ox  teams  loaded  with  wheat  for  Salt  Lake  City. 

It  was  arranged  that  they  were  to  camp  the  first 
night  on  the  Sanpitch  River,  near  where  Moroni  is 
now  located,  and  wait  there  until  a  company  with 
horse  teams  under  the  leadership  of  Isaac  Morley 
should  overtake  them ;  then  they  were  to  travel  slowlv 

V  */ 

together  through  Salt  Creek  Canyon ;  but  contrary  to 
arrangements  they  went  on  to  Uintah  Springs  (now 
Fountain  Green)  and  camped  for  the  night.  Early 
on  the  morning  of  October  1st  their  camp  was  at- 
tacked by  Indians  and  all  four  men  were  killed. 

The  savages  had  time  in  this  instance  to  com- 
plete their  fiendish  work,  mutilating  the  bodies  of 
their  victims  to  such  a  degree  that  when  found  they 
could  scarcely  be  recognized. 

When  Morley 's  company  came  along  they  found 
three  of  the  bodies  of  the  murdered  men,  but  the 
body  of  Clark  had  been  covered  up  in  the  wagon 
with  wheat  that  the  Indians  had  emptied  out  of  the 
acks  which  they  had  taken  away  with  them. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  75 

"t 


SKIRMISH  AT  NEPHI,   JUAB   COUNTY. 
EIGHT  INDIANS  KILLED. 

The  company  went  on  to  Nephi  at  the  mouth  of 
Salt  Creek  Canyon,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  2nd  of 
October  encountered  a  camp  of  Indians  and  had  a 
skirmish,  in  which  eight  Indians  were  killed  and 
one  squaw  and  two  boys  taken  prisoners. 

When  they  reported  in  Utah  County,  a  possee 
of  about  twenty  men  from  Springville,  Spanish  Fork 
and  Payson  was  organized  under  command  of  James  /' 
T.  Guyman.     They  went  to  the  Uintah  Springs  and 
found  the  remains  of  Thomas  Clark  under  the  wheat 
in  the  wagon.    He  had  been  scalped,  his  head  crushed 
and  his  body  cut  open  and  his  heart  taken  out.    The 
posse  went  on  to  Manti  and  reported.     They  were   \ 
accompanied  by  George  Peacock  from  Springville     V 
who  returned  with  the  posse.    At  Manti  they  learned 
of  the  killing  of  William  Mills  and  John  Warner 
near  Manti  on  the  4th. 

On  their  return  the  company  stopped  and  buried 
the  remains  of  Clark  which  was  by  then  badly  decom- 
posed. It  was  said  that  George  Peacock,  who  was 
a  relative  of  Clark,  got  the  body  and  buried  it  at 
Manti. 

The  particulars  here  given  were  obtained  from 
Samuel  T.  Curtis  of  Salem,  Utah  County,  who  was 
one  of  the  posse. 


76  INDIAN  DEPKEDATIONS 

llllllllllllll 1 1  ii  1 1  >i  1 1 ii  mil II nil IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMI till Ill 

WM.  MILLS  AND  JOHN  E.  WARNER 
KILLED  AT  MANTI,  SANPETE  COUNTY. 

On  October  4,  1853,  William  Mills  and  John 
Warner  were  killed  by  Indians,  near  Manti.  The 
following  particulars  are  copied  from  a  sketch  writ- 
ten by  Eunice  Warner  Snow,  wife  of  John  E.  Warner 
one  of  the  men  killed  at  Manti,  October  4th: 

"On  the  4th  of  October,  1853,  my  husband  was 
killed  by  the  Indians  in  the  edge  of  Manti  Canyon 
while  attending  the  grist  mill.  Mr.  Warner,  my  hus- 
band, owned  one  third  of  the  mill  at  the  time  he  was 
killed,  and  it  fell  to  his  lot  to  attend  the  mill  and 
grind  the  wheat  for  the  people  of  Manti.  The  mill 
was  situated  about  a  mile  from  town.  He  had  taken 
a  number  of  men  with  him  as  a  guard  until  the  day 
he  was  killed.  On  that  day  it  seemed  there  was  no 
one  who  was  willing  to  go  with  him.  A  man  by  the 
name  of  William  Mills  offered  to  go,  as  he  needed 
some  wood.  He  said  he  would  take  his  oxen  and 
cart  and  while  Mr.  Warner  was  grinding  a  grist,  he 
would  go  into  the  mountains  close  to  the  mill  and  get 
some  wood.  Mr.  Warner  would  not  let  him  go  out 
aJone,  so  they  both  went  out  a  short  distance  from 
the  mill,  but  before  they  went,  my  husband  filled  the 
hopper  with  wheat.  He  had  taken  his  gun  with  him 
every  day  and  had  killed  two  rabbits  the  day  before. 
I  was  cooking  them  for  his  supper  when  word  came 
that  he  had  been  killed.  We  heard  the  report  of  the 
guns  that  killed  the  two  men,  but  paid  no  attention 
to  it  as  we  had  heard  similar  shooting  before 
when  my  husband  killed  the  two  rabbits. 

The  men  were  killed  in  the  morning,  as  we 
thought.  Soon  after  dinner  a  young  man  went  up 


INDIAN  DEPBEDATIONS  77 

to  the  mill  for  some  flour.  There  was  no  one  to  l:a 
found  around  the  mill,  which  was  running  at  full 
speed,  but  had  no  wheat  in  the  hopper.  He  knew 
something  was  wrong  and  came  to  town  as  fast  as  he 
could  and  told  the  condition  in  which  he  found  the 
mill.  They  soon  found  a  number  of  men  to  go  in 
search  of  Warner  and  Mills  and  found  their  bodies 
a  short  distance  from  the  mill.  The  cattle  had  also 
been  killed  with  poisoned  arrows.  The  Indians  had 
been  in  ambush  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  do 
their  work.  Both  men  were  stripped  naked,  except 
that  my  husband  had  his  garments  left  on  him.  I 
was  not  allowed  to  see  him  as  he  was  so  badly  disfig- 
ured in  the  face.  The  Indians,  after  they  had  tried 
to  make  peace  with  our  people  told  that  Mr.  Warner 
had  fought  desperately  and  killed  one  Indian. 

Soon  after  the  killing  an  Indian  came  to  our 
house  carrying  my  husband's  gun,  and  one  day  two 
Indians  came  to  our  door,  one  of  whom  had  my  hus- 
band's neck  tie  on  his  black  neck;  the  other  had  his 
pocket  rule,  which  he  always  carried  with  him,  and 
also  his  pen  knife.  This  knife  was  a  useful  one,  as 
it  contained  a  number  of  articles,  such  as  a  button 
hook,  an  ear  spoon,  etc.  Two  or  three  articles  they 
had  broken  up.  ^They  were  showing  these  things  to 
my  father  and  mother  at  the  table  as  we  happened  to 
be  eating  dinner  at  the  time.  I  grabbed  a  butcher 
knife  which  was  lying  on  the  table  and  started  for 
them.  My  father  seeing  me  rise  from  the  table, 
caught  me  in  his  arms  and  carried  me  out  of  the 
room.  It  was  more  thar.  I  could  stand  to  see  the 
black  imps  with  my  husband's  things.  This  hap- 
pened a  short  time  before  the  birth  of  my  son,  who 
was  born  six  months  after  my  husband  was  killed. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


Another  serious  trouble  came  of  which  I  will 
piake  mention;  Soon  after  my  son  was  born,  Chief 
Walker  came  to  our  house  one  day.  He  said  he  in- 
tended, when  I  got  around  again,  to  have  me  for  his 
wife.  He  told  my  father  and  mother  his  intentions. 
They  did  not  let  me  known  anything  about  it  until 
he  came  several  times  to  see  me:  when  they  told  me 
it  almost  frightened  me  to  death.  I  was  obliged  to 
keep  in  hiding  from  him  for  about  six  weeks,  in  fact 
until  the  good  news  came  one  mornng  that  Walker 
was  dead.  He  died  very  suddenly. " 

ATTACK  AT  SANTAQUIN,  UTAH  COUNTY. 
FERNEE  L.  TINDEELL  KILLED. 

On  October  14, 1853,  Indians  attacked  the  infant 
settlement  of  Summit  (now  Santaquin),  Utah  Co., 
of  which  occurrence  Albert  Jones,  of  Provo,  Utah 
County,  wrote  the  following : 

The  settlers  of  Santaquin  had  been  driven  from 
their  homes,  and  had  made  their  temporary  residence 
at  Payson,  that  being  a  more  populous  town  and 
able  by  its  numbers  to  defend  itself  against  the  In- 
dians who  were  then  on  the  war-path  under  the 
lead  of  their  chief  Wah-ker.  Crops  had  been  planted 
at  Santaquin  that  spring  and  a  small  party  owning 
land  there  had  come  from  Payson  in  the  morning  of 
Oct.  14,  1853  to  harvest  their  potatoes.  Among  the 
number  were  Jonathan  S.  Page,  Fernee  L.  Tindrel, 
Sybrannus  Calkins,  (a  Mormon  battalion  boy)  and 
John  Sheffield,  then  a  lad  of  about  fifteen  years. 
These  harvesting  parties  came  and  returned  to  Pay- 
son  the  same  day. 

On  the  morning  of  this  day  one  of  the  boys  go- 
ing over  the  hills  with  some  companions  espied  a 


INDIAN  DEPBEDATIONS  79 

wolf  and  could  not  resist  taking  a  shot  at  the  brute, 
although  that  was  contrary  to  orders  in  those  days, 
as  the  firing  of  a  gun  was  the  signal  agreed  upon  an- 
nouncing the  approach  of  Indians.  The  older  people 
were  alarmed  on  the  instant,  but  upon  finding  out 
the  cause  of  the  shot,  reprimanded  the  boys  and  re- 
turned to  their  several  patches  of  potatoes,  working 
with  a  will  to  secure  them  for  their  winter's  use. 

About  2  p.  m.  firing  was  heard  again,  but  the  men 
had  grown  careless,  thinking  it  was  the  boys  shoot- 
ing again.  However,  as  the  shooting  continued,  the 
parties  became  alarmed,  and  Jonathan  S.  Page  and 
Sybranus  Calkins,  who  were  working  together, 
looked  up  from  their  work  and  saw  a  number  of  In- 
dians in  the  distance  firing  at  Furnee  L.  Tindrel  and 
the  boy  John  Sheffield.  They  saw  Tindrel  run  quite 
a  distance  and  then  fall,  but  lost  sight  of  the  boy 
entirely. 

' '  The  Indians, ' '  said  Captain  Jonathan  S.  Page, 
who  narrated  this  incident  of  the  early  Indian  wars, 
"came  straight  on  towards  us,  firing  at  us  as  they 
came.  We  prepared  to  take  off  a  wagon  box  for 
breast  works  and  fight  them,  but  so  many  of  them 
came  in  view  through  the  oak  brush  and  corn  that  we 
decided  to  leave  and  run  to  the  main  body  of  har- 
vesters. We  had  two  yoke  of  oxen  with  us,  one  yoke 
chained  to  a  wagon  got  so  excited  and  sagged  back 
on  the  chain,  so  that  we  could  not  unhook  it. 

We  started  off  driving  a  yoke  of  Calkin's  cattle 
before  us,  but  they  were  so  heavy  and  moved  so  slow, 
that  we  abandoned  them,  and  away  we  ran.  The  In- 
dian war-whoop  was  ringing  in  our  ears,  and  the  bul- 
lets whistling  around  us.  I  was  young  and  a  good 
runner,  and  with  that  horrid  war-cry  to  urge  me  on,  I 


80  INDIAN  DEPBEDATIONS 

cleared  the  three  foot  sage  brush  in  our  path  like  a 
deer.  Calkins  who  had  been  exposed  in  his  service  in 
the  battalion,  could  not  keep  near  me — and  called 
out, ' '  Page  you  ain  't  going  to  leave  me  ? ' ' 

I  slackened  speed  until  he  came  up.  The  bullets 
and  arrows  were  whistling  and  screaming  around  us 
again. 

We  renewed  our  pace,  the  Indians  pressing  close 
behind  us,  until  we  came  to  a  thicket  of  large  oak 
brush,  into  which  we  rushed  for  shelter ;  the  Indians 
soon  approached  above  us  on  a  ridge — not  a  rag  on 
them.  Their  red  .bodies  shone  and  glistened  in  the 
sun.  They  must  have  been  greased.  They  danced 
about  the  ridge,  waving  the  scalp  of  poor  Tindrel, 
and  shouting  their  terrible  war-cry.  The  thrilling 
effect  is  felt  when  imitated  in  our  sham  battle  in  the 
celebration  of  the  twenty-fourth  of  July,  but  in  the 
position  we  were  in  at  the  time,  its  terrifying  effect 
had  full  force  and  our  hair  stood  on  end.  As  we 
dashed  into  the  thickest  oak  brush  we  saw  Abel  But- 
terfield  (a  man  noted  for  his  great  size  and  strength) 
on  another  ridge.  We  called  to  him  that  the  Indians 
were  upon  him  and  that  he  had  better  run  for  safety. 
It  seemed  to  daze  him,  as  we  looked  out  from  our 
hiding  places,  we  could  see  the  old  man  (we  always 
called  him  old)  walking  up  and  down  on  top  of  the 
slope  opposite  the  Indians,  waving  his  arms,  and  call- 
ing with  his  stentorian  voice  foj^the  boys  of  Payson 
and  the  boys  of  Spring  Creek  to  come  on.  This  ruse, 
no  doubt,  had  its  effect,  for  the  Indians  did  not  ad- 
vance farther. 

They  continued  to  cry  to  us  to  come  out  of  the 
brush  and  attack  them.  They  dared  not  come  near 
us.  I  had  a  Kentucky  rifle  that  carried  a  ball  about 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  81 

mill I  ii  1 1  ii  1 1  mi  1 1  in  ii mill Ill II 1 1 1  nil  ill  n  I I II II II  n  inn Hill 

as  big  as  a  pea,  while  Calkins  had  an  old  time  Taylor 
rifle.  After  some  time  the  Indians  withdrew  and 
went  to  the  wagon  and  the  cattle  we  had  left.  There 
were  two  other  yoke  of  cattle  there  belonging  to 
James  Holman.  The  Indians  shot  and  killed  the 
oxen  chained  to  the  wagon  and  drove  off  the  others 
with  them. 

Luke  Holman  and  Levi  Colvin  came  up  to  the 
thicket  where  we  had  hid.  There  were  now  five  of 
us,  and  we  followed  on  after  the  Indians  in  hopes  of 
getting  the  cattle  back.  The  Indians  saw  us  coming 
and  divided  their  party,  some  continuing  on  with  the 
cattle,  while  the  rest  made  southward,  toward  San- 
taquin  canyon.  Here  I  found  a  good  opportunity  to 
count  them,  and  made  out  thirty-nine.  We  thought 
they  might  have  had  horses  at  the  mouth  of  the  can- 
yon, and  concluded  we  had  better  turn  back  for  fear 
they  would  cut  us  off  from  the  main  body  of  harvest- 
ers. We  then  went  back  to  the  rest  of  the  people, 
who  numbered  about  nine. 

Levi  Colvin  had  a  pair  of  horses  there,  and 
Jonathan  Davis  mounted  one  of  them  and  rode  down 
to  Payson  to  give  the  alarm ;  soon  about  forty  men  in 
wagons  and  on  horseback  were  hastening  to  our  re- 
lief, in  charge  of  Col.  W.  C.  McClellan. 

Robert  E.  Collet  (later  of  Pleasant  Grove)  also 
ran  into  Payson  on  foot,  following  down  the  creek 
northward,  and  arrived  there  soon  after  the  horse- 
men got  in. 

Levi  Colvin  and  myself,  before  the  relief  party 
came,  went  up  through  the  brush  and  found  the  body 
of  Tindrel;  he  was  scalped,  and  all  his  clothes  were 
off,  except  his  shirt.  He  was  shot  seven  times.  Two 
bullet  holes  and  five  arrows  were  found  in  his  body. 


82  INDIAN  DEPKEDATIONS 

The  reason  they  had  not  taken  off  his  shirt,  was 
that  one  of  his  arms  was  pinned  to  his  body  with  an 
arrow.  One  arrow  had  gone  through  the  body,  en- 
tering the  back  and  protruding  at  the  breast  bone: 
one  bullet  passed  through  him  close  to  the  heart,  and 
he  must  have  run  seventy-five  yards  at  least,  after 
receiving  this  shot,  before  he  fell. 

The  horror  that  filled  my  soul  at  seeing  the 
scalped  and  naked  body  of  my  friend,  who  but  a  few 
hours  ago  had  been  full  of  life,  is  indescribable.  Shot 
down  by  cruel  and  relentless  Indians,  he  laid  there 
stripped,  dead  and  mutilated,  under  the  bright  Oct- 
ober sun.  We  left  him  there,  and  returned  to  the  po- 
sition occupied  by  the  party  of  harvesters. 

The  company  from  Payson  under  the  command 
of  Col.  W.  C.  McClellan  soon  came  on  the  ground.  We 
took  up  the  body  of  Brother  Fernee  L.  Tindrel  and 
sorrowfully  wended  our  way  back  to  Payson,  where 
we  interred  his  body  in  the  cementery  with  military 
honors.  I  being  one  of  the  party  that  fired  the  salute 
above  the  grave. 

Young  John  Sheffield  had  hid  in  the  brush  and 
escaped  unhurt.  He  came  to  us  when  he  saw  the  ar- 
rival of  the  relief  parties  from  Payson. 

The  leading  Indian  of  this  party  of  marauders 
was  a  Ute  known  by  the  name  of  Showan,  the  brother 
of  Santaquin,  who  lived  in  Thistle  for  many  years 
and  owned  a  ranch  there  and  is  now  on  the  Indian 
reservation.  — Albert  Jones." 

CHASE'S   SAWMILL  IN   SANPETE 
COUNTY   BURNED   BY   INDIANS. 

November  6th — Chase's  sawmill  in  Sanpete 
County,  was  burned  by  Indians.  Three  days  later, 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  83 


November  9th — The  Indians  burned  six  houses  in 
Summit  Creek  (Santaquin)  Utah  County,  which  had 
been  vacated  during  the  summer. 

THE   ALLRED   SETTLEMENT, 
(SPRING  CITY)  BURNED  BY  INDIANS. 

1854,  Jan.  6th — Allred's  settlement  (Spring  City) 
Sanpete  County,  which  had  been  deserted  the  pre- 
vious summer  because  of  Indian  troubles,  was  burned 
to  the  ground  by  Indians. 

April. — A  number  of  Elders  was  called  on  a  mis- 
sion to  the  Indians  in  southern  Utah.  This  more 
directly  resulted  in  opening  up  that  part  of  Utah 
south  of  the  rim  of  the  great  basin  to  settlement. 

TREATY  WITH  CHIEF  WALKER  AND 

EANOSH. 
END  OF  UTE  WAR. 

In  May,  1854,  after  a  "talk"  with  President 
Brigham  Young,  the  Indian  chief  Walker  (Surround- 
ed by  his  braves)  and  Kanosh,  chief  of  the  Pahvant 
Indians,  entered  into  a  formal  treaty  of  peace  at 
Chicken  Creek,  Juab  County.  This  ended  the  Ute 
war,  during  which  nineteen  white  persons  and  many 
Indians  had  been  killed. 

During  the  war  a  number  of  the  smaller  settle- 
ments had  been  broken  up,  and  their  inhabitants 
moved  to  larger  towns. 

WILLIAM  AND  WARREN  WEEKS 
KILLED  IN  CEDAR  VALLEY. 

August  8th  William  and  Warren  Weeks,  sons 
of  Bishop  Allen  Weeks,  were  killed  by  Indians  in 
Cedar  Valley. 


84  INDIAN  DEPKEDATIONS 

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiifff 

CHIEF  WALKER  DIED  AT  MEADOW 
CREEK,  MILLARD  COUNTY 

1855,  January  29th.— Walker,  the  Utah  Chief, 
who  had  so  long  been  a  terror  to  the  whites,  died  at 
Meadow  Creek,  in  Millard  County,  and  was  succeed- 
ed by  his  brother  Arapeen.  Walker  prior  to  his  death, 
became  convinced  that  the  "Mormons"  were  his 
friends,  and  among  his  final  words  was  an  injunc- 
tion to  his  tribe  to  live  at  peace  with  the  settlers  and 
not  molest  them. 

According  to  the  cruel  custom  then  in  vogue 
among  the  savages,  an  Indian  boy  and  girl  and  thir- 
teen horses  were  buried  alive  with  Walker,  being 
secured  near  the  corpse  of  the  Chief  at  the  bottom 
of  a  deep  pit  or  walled  enclosure,  and  left  to  suffer 
until  death  brought  relief,  It  was  said  that  two  In- 
dians passed  by  the  place,  and  the  boy  begged  to  be 
let  out,  but  they  passed  on.  The  boy  said  that  Wal- 
ker was  beginning  to  stink. 

THE  ELK  MOUNTAIN  MISSION,  AND  ABANDON- 
MENT. 

An  Indian  Mission  known  in  the  history  of  the 
Church  as  the  Elk  Mountain  Mission  was  established 
for  the  purpose  of  educating  a  tribe  of  Indians  who 
occupied  the  region  of  country  in  south-eastern  Utah 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Elk  Mountains  (now  the  La 
Salle  Mountains).  Their  main  rendezvous  was  in  a 
little  Valley  on  the  Grand  River  where  the  settlement 
of  Moab  is  now  situated.  Those  who  went  on  this  mis- 
sion were  called  at  a  general  Conference  of  the 
Church  held  in  Great  Salt  Lake  City  in  April,  1855. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  85 


Forty-one  men  were  called,  namely  Alfred  N.  Bill- 
ings, Eobert  Brown,  John  Clark,  Oliver  B.  Hunt- 
ington,  James  Ivie,  John  Lehi,  Levi  G.  Metcalf ,  John 
McEwan,  Joseph  L.  Eawlins,  Moses  Draper,  Alma 
Fairchild,  Wm.  Freeman,  Wm.  E.  Holden,  James 
W.  Hunt,  Lot  E.  Huntington,  Charles  A.  Huntington, 
Steven  E.  Moore,  Byron  Pace,  Ethen  Pettit,  Christo- 
pher C.  Perkins,  Wm.  W.  Sterrit,  Wm.  P.  Jones, 
Ephraim  Wright,  Clinton  Williams,  Thomas  Wilson, 
Andrew  Jackson  Allred,  Edward  Edwards,  Archi- 
bald W.  Buchanan,  William  P.  Fairchild,  John  Craw- 
ford, John  Lowry,  Jr.  William  G.  Petty,  Peter 
Stubbs,  John  Shelby,  Shelton  B.  Cutler,  Martin  Be- 
hunin,  Wm.  Behunin,  D.  Johnson,  John  Lewis, 
Eichard  and  William  Hamblin.  Elder  Alfred  N.  Bill- 
ings was  appointed  president  of  the  mission  by  Presi- 
dent Brigham  Young.  The  company  after  being 
partly  organized  for  traveling,  left  Manti,  Sanpete 
County,  Monday  May  21,  1855.  It  consisted  of  41 
men,  15  wagons,  65  oxen,  16  cows,  13  horses,  2  bulls, 
1  calf,  2  pigs,  4  dogs,  and  12  chickens,  besides  im- 
plements, seed  grain,  etc.,  and  provisions.  After  a 
hard  journey  they  arrived  on  Grand  Eiver  on  the 
evening  on  June  llth.  On  the  12th  they  crossed  the 
river,  came  to  some  land  that  was  cultivated  by  In- 
dians who  were  friendly  and  wanted  the  white  peo- 
ple to  settle  among  them.  By  July  they  had  built 
a  stockade  corral  of  logs,  set  three  feet  in  the  ground 
and  six  feet  above,  and  had  put  in  their  grain,  etc. 
and  they  started  work  on  a  stone  fort.  The  fort 
was  finished  July  19th. 

One  of  the  settlers  writes :  Sunday  September 
22nd  we  changed  herd-ground,  feeling  apprehensive 
of  mischief  intended  by  some  Indians  as  they  were 


86  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

Illllllllllllllllllllll mini  illinium  iiiiiMiiiitiiiiniMii  i  iMiiiiiiiiMiliiiiiiiiMiiiiMiiiiiinmiiiiiMi m 

very  saucy  and  impudent.  On  inquiring  why  we 
had  changed  herd-ground,  the  boys  began  loading 
their  guns,  which  caused  the  Indians  to  cool  down, 
the  Indians  went  off  a  short  distance  to  consult  to- 
gether. Soon  three  of  them  started  for  the  field  in  the 
direction  of  the  cattle,  and  in  a  few  minutes  James 
W.  Hunt  started  with  a  lariat  to  get  his  horse.  Char- 
les, a  son  of  Suit-Sub-Soc-Its  or  St.  John,  followed 
him  on  horse-back ;  he  kept  telling  him  to  go  ahead  of 
him,  asking  what  he  was  afraid  of,  Hunt  kept  turn- 
ing his  head  occasionally  towards  him,  as  though 
being  apprehensive  of  danger,  they  got  nearly  a 
mile  from  the  fort  when  Charles  told  him  to  look  at 
the  stock.  He  did  so,  raising  himself  on  tip-toe. 
That  instant  Charles  shot  him,  then  shouted  to  an- 
other Indian,  not  far  off,  to  run  and  take  the  horses. 
The  ball  entered  Hunt's  back,  ranging  downward 
about  one  and  a  half  inches  from  the  back  bone,  on 
the  left  side,  and  four  inches  from  the  small  of  the 
back.  This  happened  about  half  past  twelve  o  'clock. 
Ephraim  Wight  and  Sheldon  B.  Cutler  were  herding 
the  stock.  The  Indians  left  and  went  across  the 
river,  Cutler  came  to  the  fort  on  horse-back  and 
told  what  had  happened.  President  Billings  jumped 
on  behind  him.  Peter  Stubbs  followed,  and  while 
John  Clark  and  another  followed  with  water  and  re- 
turned to  the  fort,  Clinton  Williams  started  on 
horse  back  after  the  stock.  The  boys  carried  Hunt 
in  a  blanket;  but  before  they  got  within  one  fourth 
of  a  mile  of  the  fort,  the  Indians  re-crossed  the  river 
and  came  charging  towards  the  boys  and  stock,  rais- 
ing a  war  whoop.  Wm.  M.  Sterrett,  Sheldon  B.  Cut- 
ler and  Clark  A.  Huntington  acted  as  rear  guard  to 
the  boys  who  were  carrying  Hunt  and  fired  upon 


INDIAN  DEPBEDATIONS  87 

the  Indians  who  had  fired  some  eight  or  ten  guns  be- 
fore our  boys  commenced  shooting.  President  Bill- 
ings was  wounded  by  a  ball  passing  through  the 
fore  finger  of  his  right  hand.  The  bullets  whistled 
briskly  all  around.  The  men  arrived  safely  with 
the  wounded  man  and  the  horses  and  cattle  were 
taken  inside  the  corral,  except  those  the  Indians  had 
driven  off.  Every  man  was  engaged.  Soon  one  of 
the  Indians  set  fire  to  our  hay  stacks  which  were  ad- 
joining the  north  end  of  the  corral ;  they  were  entire- 
ly consumed,  as  also  the  corn,  and  it  took  five  or  six 
men  steady  to  carry  water  to  save  the  corral  logs,  so 
as  to  keep  what  stock  we  had  on  the  inside.  The 
firing  was  kept  up  by  the  Indians  till  after  dark.  We 
succeeded  in  saving  the  corral,  although  some  of  the 
logs  were  nearly  consumed.  Seven  Indians  were  seen 
to  leave,  Charles  at  their  head,  going  to  the  moun- 
tains. The  day  previous  (Saturday)  two  of  the  boys, 
Edward  Edwards  and  William  Behunin  went  hunt- 
ing, expecting  to  return  Sunday  afternoon,  Captain 
Capsium,  a  Tampa  Ute,  came  down  to  the  corner  of 
the  fort  and  corral  and  talked  to  Clark  A.  Hunting- 
ton  for  some  time  when  a  few  more  Indians  came. 
They  said  we  had  killed  two  or  three  of  them  and 
wounded  as  many,  and  they  would  not  be  satisfied 
till  they  had  killed  two  more  "Mormons."  They  at 
first  denied  having  killed  the  two  boys  who  were  out 
hunting  and  wanted  bread.  We  gave  them  all  we 
had.  The  Indians  had  turned  the  water  off  from  us, 
They  finally  acknowledged  killing  the  two  boys  out 
hunting.  Hunt  expired  the  following  day. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  Monday,  Sept.  24th  the 
Indians  came  to  the  fort  and  said  they  were  glad 
that  three  Mormons  had  been  killed ;  they  had  killed 


88  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

the  two  boys  as  they  were  coming  down  the  moun- 
tain. Thus  three  of  our  boys  were  killed.  Three  In- 
dians had  also  been  killed  and  three  others  wounded 
who  would  die.  It  was  now  thought  best  to  move  out 
right  away,  or  we  should  all  die,  as  the  Indians  had 
sent  runners  out  into  the  mountains  for  help.  We 
packed  up  and  without  breakfast  left  about  eleven 
o  'clock  in  the  morning,  leaving  fifteen  head  of  horses 
twenty-four  head  of  cattle  with  a  calf,  besides  six 
head  which  we  gave  the  Indians.  When  we  got  to 
the  north  side  of  Grand  river,  a  brother  of  St.  John 
and  uncle  to  Charles,  the  leader,  came  to  us.  Clark 
A.  Huntington  told  him  all  that  had  taken  place, 
and  what  we  had  left  behind.  He  said  it  was  too 
bad,  but  he  was  only  one  against  many.  He  said 
we  should  have  our  cattle,  and  he  would  see  that  the 
bodies  of  the  boys  who  had  been  killed  were  taken 
care  of  and  buried.  Together  with  his  sons  he  went 
to  the  fort  and  talked  to  the  Indians.  He  had  some 
difficulty  with  them,  when  they  began  shooting  the 
cattle.  The  friendly  Indians  who  succeeded  in  driv- 
ing away  fifteen  head  of  cattle,  delivered  to  us  eight 
cows  and  kept  seven  that  were  wounded.  They 
butchered  three  head  and  brought  us  a  little  of  the 
meat. 

We  arrived  in  Manti,  Sunday  Sept.  30th,  be- 
tween 4  and  5  o'clock  p.  m.  John  McEwan  who  was 
left  behind  the  last  morning  driving  his  pony  which 
was  tired,  some  three  miles  from  where  we  started, 
got  bewildered  and  lost  his  way.  The  trail  being  dim 
and  not  very  easy  to  follow,  left  all  he  had  except 
his  gun,  and  traveled  eating  nothing  from  Saturday 
night  the  27  till  Wednesday  forenoon  the  3rd 
of  October  about  eleven  o'clock  a.  m.  when  he  was 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  89 

met  by  three  men,  viz:  Nathaniel  Beach,  John 
Lowry,  jr.  both  of  Manti  and  Lyman  A.  Woods  of 
Provo,  and  two  Indians  belonging  to  Arrapeen's 
band  who  left  Manti  on  Tuesday  night  at  half  past 
ten  o  'clock  in  pursuit  of  him.  They  arrived  at  Manti 
Thursday  morning  7 :30  o  'clock. 

THE  SALMON  RIVER  MISSION. 

On  May  19,  1855,  a  company  was  organized  on 
the  west  side  of  Bear  River,  Utah,  for  the  purpose 
of  colonizing  the  Great  Northwest.  The  company 
consisted  of  twenty-seven  men  with  thirteen  wagons, 
twenty-six  yoke  of  cattle,  a  few  cows  and  implements 
of  industry.  The  personel  of  the  company  was : 

Thomas  S.  Smith,  Farmington,  Davis  County, 
Utah ;  Ezra  J.  Barnard,  Farmington,  Davis  County, 
Utah;  Isaac  Shepherd,  Farmington,  Davis  County, 
Utah;  Baldwin  H.  Watts,  South  Weber,  Utah; 
Geo.  R.  Grant,  Kaysville,  Davis  County,  Utah; 
Charles  Dalton,  Centerville,  Davis  County,  Utah; 
Israel  J.  Clark,  Centerville,  Davis  County,  Utah; 
Wm.  H.  Batchelor,  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah ;  Ira  Ames, 
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah;  William  Bunbridge,  Salt 
Lake  City,  Utah;  Thomas  Butterfield,  West  Jor- 
dan, Salt  Lake  County,  Utah;  William  Burges, 
Provo,  Utah;  Abraham  Zundel,  Willard,  Box 
Elder,  Utah;  Everett  Lish,  Willard,  Box  Elder, 
Utah;  Francillo  Durfee,  Ogden,  Utah;  David 
Moore,  Ogden,  Utah;  Benjamin  F.  Cummings, 
Ogden,  Utah;  Gilbert  R.  Belknap;  Ogden,  Utah; 
Joseph  Parry,  Ogden,  Utah1  Nathaniel  Leavitt, 
Ogden,  Utah ;  Pleasant  Green  Taylor,  Ogden,  Utah ; 
Charles  McGeary,  Ogden,  Utah;  John  Gallagher, 


iimiiiniiiiiiii 


90  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

Mtiiiiiiiiiimmitmmm tfllllllllllllliiiltmiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiuiiii 

Ogden,  Utah;     John  W.  Browning,  Ogden,  Utah- 
David  H.   Stevens,  Ogden,  Utah;  William  Birch, 
Ogden,  Utah ;  Geo.  Hill,  Ogden,  Utah. 
The  following  officers  were  elected: 
Thomas  S.  Smith,  President;  Francillo  Durfee, 
Captain;  David  Moore,  Secretary;  B.  F.  Cummings, 
Captain  of  the  guard. 

Thus  organized,  on  the  20th  day  of  May,  tho 
company  commenced  their  journey.  They  traveled 
up  Malad  valley  and  crossed  the  Bannock  divide, 
then  they  went  down  Bannock  Creek,  crossed  Port- 
neuf  River,  and  Ross'  Fork  and  Blackfoot  River, 
thence  until  they  reached  Snake  River,  which  they 
crossed  at  a  point  five  miles  above  Fort  Hall  and 
near  Ross'  Butte,  and  traveled  on  the  west  side  of 
the  river  until  they  reached  a  point  three  miles  above 
Eagle  Rock.  On  leaving  Snake  River  they  passed 
Market  Lake  on  the  north  and  camped  on  Muddy 
Lake.  Leaving  Muddy  Lake  the  company  traveled 
thirty  miles  across  a  desert  when  they  reach- 
ed Spring  Creek,  (Birch  Creek).  Traveling 
northward  they  followed  little  Lost  River  sixty  miles 
until  they  arrived  at  the  top  of  Salmon  range  of 
mountains.  They  journeyed  down  this  creek  called 
Salmon  River  (now  Limhi),  until  they  reached  a 
point  twenty  miles  above  where  it  empties  into  Sal- 
mon River.  They  arrived  at  this  point  June  15th, 
which  was  three  hundred  and  thirty-three  miles  from 
Ogden,  according  to  the  odometer  constructed  by 
Col.  David  Moore.  Here  they  built  a  stockade  fort 
and  named  it  "Fort  Limhi."  It  was  about  twenty 
rods  square.  The  wall  was  built  of  logs  sixteen  feet 
long,  standing  on  end  close  together.  It  had  one 
gate  on  the  east  side  and  one  on  the  west.  They  built 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  91 


Illllllllllllllllllll Mill  I  I  III  III 


their  houses  of  logs,  on  one  side  of  the  fort.  Bas- 
tions were  built  at  each  corner  of  the  fort. 

The  country  through  which  they  traveled  was  a 
dreary  waste,  very  forbidding,  and  covered  thick 
ly  with  wild  sage,  and  at  that  time  was  but  little 
known  to  white  people.  It  was  eastern  Oregon,  (now 
in  Idaho.) 

On  their  arrival  they  found  a  large  number  of 
Indians  consisting  of  Bannocks,  Sho-shones  and  Nez- 
Perses,  who  were  on  their  annual  fishing  trip. 
Through  their  interpreter,  Geo.  W.  Hill,  the  Indians 
were  made  to  understand  that  the  colony  had  come 
there  to  settle,  that  they  were  their  friends,  that  they 
were  there  to  help  them,  to  teach  them  how  to  till 
the  ground,  how  to  build  houses  and  live  like  white 
people.  The  Indians  gave  the  colonists  a  friendly 
welcome. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  on  which  they 
arrived,  the  colony  commenced  to  build  their  irri- 
ation  canal.  David  Moore  and  B.  F.  Cummings, 
surveyed  the  ditch  with  a  bottle  filled  with  water 
for  a  level  and  steel  square  for  a  straight  edge.  A 
part  of  the  company  commenced  work  on  the  water 
ditch,  while  others  were  engaged  in  herding  cattle 
The  water  for  irrigation  was  brought  from  a  creek 
on  the  east  side  of  the  valley,  about  forty  rods  above 
the  fort,  where  the  dam  was  built,  to  flood  the  land 
before  it  could  be  ploughed. 

About  the  22nd  of  June  the  colony  planted  peas, 
potatoes,  turnips,  etc.  This  was  the  first  irrigation 
that  was  done  in  the  Great  Northwest.  Bancroft 
gives  this  credit  to  these  first  settlers.  The  crops 
of  the  first  year  were  a  failure,  being  destroyed  by 
heavy  frost  on  the  night  of  the  4th  of  September. 


92  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

The  same  year  the  grasshoppers  appeared  in  count- 
less numbers  and  deposited  their  eggs. 

There  being  no  saw  mill,  the  lumber  for  the 
windows,  doors,  and  floors,  was  manufactured  with 
a  whip-saw.  Every  day  and  night  a  strong  guard 
was  placed  over  the  cattle;  and  men  were  forced  to 
go  heavily  armed. 

Prior  to  the  loss  of  the  crops  it  was  discovered 
that  the  supplies  on  hand  would  run  out  and  the  seed 
remaining  would  be  insufficient  for  next  year 's  sow- 
ing. So,  early  in  August,  about  one  half  of  the  col- 
ony returned  to  Utah  for  supplies  and  to  carry  the 
mail.  They  returned  on  the  19th  of  November,  1855, 
bringing  the  mail  from  Utah.  Some  of  them  also 
brought  their  families.  Francillo  Durfree  brought 
his  wife  and  daughter;  C.  M.  McGeary,  his  wife;  I 
J.  Clark,  his  wife  and  three  children.  These  women 
and  children  were  the  first  white  females  to  settle 
in  the  Great  Northwest.  Louisa,  daughter  of  Col. 
G.  Moore  subsequently  became  the  wife  of  Lewis 
W.  Shurtliff,  who  is  now  a  member  of  Congress. 

(This  marriage  took  place  January  4th,  1858, 
being  the  first  white  couple  married  in  this  north 
country.) 

About  the  first  of  August,  Lewis  W.  Shurtliff 
and  John  Leavitt  started  from  Salt  Lake  with  mail 
and  supplies. 

By  the  first  of  December,  1855,  President  Smith, 
ascertained  that  their  food  supplies  would  be  ex- 
hausted before  the  first  of  March,  1856.  He  called 
for  volunteers  to  go  to  Utah  for  supplies  and  also  to 
carry  mail.  The  following  eight  responded:  viz: 
George  W.  Hill,  Joseph  Parry,  Abraham  Zundel, 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  93 

II IIIMIIII11MI.nl. II Ml  III II 1 1  II I I II II II I Illlllllllllllll II  till  I  MM  I  Mill  II  HI nil 

Wm.  Burch,  Isaac  Shepherd,  Thomas  Butterfield 
and  William  Batchelor. 

They  left  fort  Limhi  on  the  4th  of  December  with 
an  outfit  consisting  of  eight  men,  six  yoke  of  oxen 
and  three  wagons;  one  wagon  they  were  compelled 
to  leave  by  the  wayside.  They  arrived  in  Ogden  on 
December  26th  in  good  health,  but  "Mighty  hungry " 
and  suffering  more  or  less  from  frost  bites. 

On  March  28th,  1856,  they  left  Ogden  on  their 
return  to  Limhi  with  the  mail  from  Utah  and  their 
supplies,  bringing  with  them  the  following  new 
colonists : 

Alexander  Hill,  John  Freece,  Sylvanus  Collett, 
Thomas  Abbot,  Wai.  Mclntyre,  William  Perkins, 
Thos.  Carlos,  Thos.  Day,  Clifton,  S.  Browning,  Jos. 
Harker,  Jacob  Miller,  Geo.  McBride,  H.  A.  Cleveland, 
Thomas  Bingham,  William  Shaw,  John  Murdock, 
Pardon  Webb,  James  Walker,  R.  B.  Margetts,  Henry 
Nebeker,  William  B.  Lake,  Hathron  C.  Hadlock. 
The  party  reached  Fort  Limhi  May  15th,  1856,  in 
charge  of  Joseph  Parry.  During  the  summer  '56 
Messrs.  Moore,  Cummings  and  Parry  commenced  the 
erection  of  a  grist  mill ;  Mr.  Burges  having  brought 
the  mill  stones  with  him  from  Utah  and  Mr.  Moore 
brought  the  mill  irons.  The  mill  was  completed  in 
1859.  In  1856  the  colony  commenced  to  build  an- 
other irrigation  ditch,  which  they  finished  in  1857. 
and  it  is  still  in  operation  by  Mr.  J.  B.  Sharkey. 

An  addition  was  made  to  the  colony  by  the  ar- 
rival of  M.  D.  Hammond,  H.  V.  Shurtliff,  E.  Bobin- 
son  and  Owen  Dix  who  brought  the  mail  from  Utah. 
They  came  during  the  summer  of  1856.  In  August 
L.  W.  Shurtliff  and  Nathaniel  Leavitt  carried  the 
mail  from  Limhi  to  Utah,  and  had  a  narrow  escape 


94  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

from  death  by  Indians,  near  where  Bailey  Lake  was 
subsequently  shot  and  killed.  During  this  summer 
Lot  Smith  and  John  Clawson  arrived  from  Utah  with 
the  mail,  and  returned  with  the  mail  from  Limhi  to 
Utah. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1856,  the  colony  sowed  a 
large  acreage  of  wheat  which  gave  promise  of  an 
abundant  harvest ;  but  the  grasshoppers  hatched  out 
in  myriads  and  destroyed  the  fruits  of  their  toil  and 
blighted  their  hopes  for  this  year.  Before  them  was 
indeed  a  fruitful  field,  but  when  they  left,  behind 
them  was  a  desolation.  The  land  was  cleaned  of 
every  vestige  of  vegetation.  This  forced  the  colony 
for  the  third  time  to  resort  to  Utah  for  fresh  sup- 
plies of  provisions  and  for  seed  grain  for  the  en- 
suing year. 

iDavid  Moore,  Pleasant  G.  Taylor  and  others 
were  sent  with  the  mail  to  Utah  and  to  bring  back 
supplies.  At  the  commencement  of  winter,  Hill, 
Parry  and  Lychonius  Barnard  were  also  sent  with 
the  mail  from  Limhi.  The  two  companies  returned 
with  the  mail  and  supplies  for  the  colony,  May,  1857. 
(It  should  have  been  stated  in  the  summer  of  1856,  a 
body  of  troops,  fifty  or  more  arrived  at  the  colony 
in  search  of  Indians  who  had  commited  depredations 
on  white  settlers  in  Oregon.  They  stayed  about  one 
week  and  then  left. 

In  May,  1857,  the  colony  had  a  pleasant  visit 
from  President  Brigham  Young  and  a  large  company 
of  others,  including  Heber  C.  Kimball,  Gen.  Daniel 
H.  Wells  and  prominent  citizens  of  Utah.  They  ex- 
pressed themselves  much  pleased  with  the  colony  and 
the  President  said  he  would  send  them  more  aid  to 
strengthen  the  colony.  He  advised  them  to  build  a 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  95 

•tiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiifiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiM 

Spanish  wall  for  their  better  protection,  which  they 
did  at  the  south  end  of  the  fort.  The  wall  is  still 
standing.  This  same  year,  they  raised  about  2,000 
bushels  of  wheat  besides  other  grain  and  vegetables. 
This  was  the  first  grain  raised  in  Idaho  by  irriga- 
tion. 

In  fulfillment  of  this  promise  the  President  sent 
the  following  persons  to  strengthen  the  settlers  at 
Limhi:  John  L.  Dalton,  James  Wilcox,  Jane  Had- 
lock,  Oliver  Eobinson,  James  Miller,  Chas.  F.  Mid- 
dleton,  Henry  Smith  and  wife,  Jesse  Smith  and 
wife,  William  S.  Smith  and  wife,  William  Marler, 
Frederick  A.  Miller,  Reuben  Collett,  Fountain  Welch, 
Orson  Rose,  Andrew  Quigley,  William  Perry  and 
wife,  William  Taylor,  Levi  Taylor,  James  Allred, 
Martin  H.  Harris,  Jonathan  Bowen  and  wife,  Joseph 
Bowen,  Steven  Cheen  and  wife,  Henry  Harman  and 
wife,  and  James  McBride.  They  arrived  at  Fort 
Limhi  Oct.  27th,  1857. 

Arrangements  were  at  once  made  for  building  a 
new  fort  about  two  miles  below  Limhi,  thereby  in- 
creasing the  acreage  and  strength  of  the  colony,  and 
also  giving  more  room  for  new  arrivals.  A  num- 
ber of  log  houses  were  erected  on  the  plan  of  those 
of  the  upper  fort.  Milton  Harmon  was  appointed 
to  preside  over  this  little  community.  Everything 
went  along  peacefully  and  all  were  taking  hold  of 
needed  work,  to  prepare  for  winter. 

November  28th,  President  Smith  and  L.  W. 
Shurtliff  started  with  the  mail  for  Salt  Lake  City, 
but  were  compelled  to  return,  arriving  on  the  llth 
of  December,  and  reported  that  the  snow  T»as  too 
deep  and  they  found  it  impractical  to  cross  the  moun- 
tains. 


96  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

The  threshing  of  the  wheat  (which  was  done 
by  oxen)  and  the  cleaning  occupied  all  winter.  The 
cleaning  was  done  by  a  fanning  mill,  which  was  con- 
structed by  David  Moore  and  others  at  the  fort. 

Feb.  28th,  1858,  Col.  Smith  saw  the  Indians  in  a 
hostile  attitude ;  he  saddled  his  horse  and  called  on 
the  men  to  follow  him,  and  then  started  to  head  off 
the  cattle  which  the  red  skins  were  stealing.  Many 
of  the  men  started  to  follow  him,  but  Col.  Moore, 
fearing  that  the  fort  would  be  left  exposed  to  the 
foes,  organized  a  company  of  ten  to  follow  Col.  Smith 
and  detained  the  rest  to  defend  the  fort.  The  In- 
dians fired  on  all  of  the  colonists.  Geo.  McBride  and 
•James  Miller  were  killed,  and  Col.  Smith  and  four 
others  were  wounded.  Col.  Moore  detailed  men  to 
bring  in  the  dead  and  wounded.  The  foresight  of 
David  Moore  saved  the  fort,  for  it  was  discovered 
afterwards  that  the  Indians  expected  that  the  col- 
onists would  pursue  them,  when,  having  some  of 
their  tribe  in  ambush,  they  would  take  possession, 
kill  the  men  and  carry  off  the  women  and  children. 

An  express  was  sent  by  B.  H.  Watts  and  Ezra 
Barnard  to  President  Young,  informing  him  of  what 
had  occurred.  He  immediately  sent  out  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  mounted  men  and  twenty  wagons  with 
provisions,  under  the  command  of  Col.  Cunning- 
ham, to  relieve  the  colony  and  escort  them  to  Utah. 

The  fort  was  vacated  March  28th,  1858.  The 
men  were  sent  forward  as  a  van  guard.  The  Indians 
followed  them  two  hundred  miles.  They  waylaid 
them.  They  killed,  stripped  and  scalped  Bailey 
Lake.  When  the  colony  left  the  fort  snow  was  on 
the  ground  in  many  places,  and  the  men  had  to  help 
the  teams  with  lariats.  On  April  llth,  1858,  at  3 


JESSE    KNIGHT 

Sergeant  in  Captain  Alva  A.  Green's  cavalry  company.  American  Fork.  One  of 
>ur  comrades  whom  fortune  has  favored.  Now  prominent  mine  owner  and 
•apitalist.  \Vhat  is  more  legitimate  than  to  cause  the  earth  to  yield  her  fruits 
and  treasures  in  abundance. 


BRIG.    GENERAL    ALBERT    KING    THURBER 
Indian     Interpreter     and     Explorer. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  97 

inn  MII;  II  ii Illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll I ii  illinium Illllllllllllllllllllltlllllllllllllll 

o'clock  p.  m.  they  arrived  in  Ogden.  Before  leav- 
ing Limhi  the  colony  cached  their  wheat,  about  two 
thousand  bushels,  in  different  places. 

This  ended  the  first  mission  to  colonize  the 
great  Northwest  to  introduce  the  system  of  irriga- 
tion and  endeavor  to  civilize  the  aborigines,  after 
two  years  and  nine  months  most  incessant  labor,  toil 
and  sacrifices.  It  cost  three  lives  of  colonists,  and 
five  others  were  wounded.  It  also  cost  them  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  dollars  in  time,  horses,  cattle, 
crops  and  other  property. 

THE  SALKGN  RIVER  MISSION  ABANDONED. 

Since  the  fort  was  vacated  the  land  fell  into 
other  hands,  and  a  government  reservation  was  es- 
tablished a  little  distance  above  this  point,  and  now 
appears  on  the  maps  as  "Fort  Limhi"  and  "Limhi 
Valley  Indian  Reservation." 

The  names  of  Crandle  Dunn  and  Amos  Wright 
of  Box  Elder  Co.,  and  James  Hill  of  Mill  Creek,  Salt 
Lake  County,  have  been  inadvertently  omitted  from 
the  body  of  this  report.  They  should  be  in  as 
they  were  in  the  Salmon  Eiver  Mission. 

ANOTHER  ACCOUNT. 

An  account  of  an  expedition  that  was  sent  out 
from  Utah  by  Governor  Young  to  relieve  a  colony 
of  settlers  that  had  located  on  Salmon  River,  Ore- 
gon: 

In  1855  President  Brigham  Young  and  the  lead- 
ers of  the  Church  called  a  company  of  men  with  their 
families  to  go  North  into  Oregon  and  explore  the 
country  and  establish  a  settlement  to  open  up  the 
country  for  other  settlers.  This  company  crossed  the 
mountains  to  Snake  river  and  followed  the  river  up 


98  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

llllllllimillllllllllllll ii  1 1  inn  mill  IMI  ii  in  1 1 lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllliliiiilliil it 

to  Market  Lake.  From  here  they  turned  Northwest 
onto  the  head  waters  of  the  Salmon  river  and  built 
a  fort  which  was  named  Fort  Limhi  from  which  Lim- 
hi  County,  Idaho,  was  afterwards  named.  This  col- 
ony got  along  alright  until  the  winter  of  1857  and 
spring  of  1858,  when  through  the  influence  of  one 
John  Powel,  a  mountaineer  who  was  very  bitter 
against  the  Mormons,  the  Indians  made  a  raid  on 
the  colony.  A  battle  was  fought  and  the  colonists 
lost  all  their  stock,  except  some  animals  they  were 
using  at  the  time.  Two  men  were  killed  and  four 
others  wounded.  The  names  of  those  killed  were 
George  McBride  and  James  T.  Miller  of  Farmington 
Davis  County,  Utah.  Those  wounded  were  Thomas 
S.  Smith,  the  Captain  of  the  company,  0.  L.  Robin- 
son, Andrew  Quigley  and  Fountain  Welch  all  of 
Farmington.  The  last  mentioned  never  fully  recov- 
ered from  their  wounds. 

This  left  the  colony  in  a  helpless  condition,  and 
over  four  hundred  miles  from  any  assistance.  After 
some  consideration  they  saw  there  was  only  one 
chance  for  them  to  get  help,  and  that  was  for  some 
one  or  two  persons  to  risk  their  lives  and  go  out  by 
night  and  attempt  to  get  by  the  Indians.  George  W. 
Hill  and  Baldwin  Watts  undertook  this  task.  After 
three  weeks  travel  and  suffering  from  hunger  and 
cold  they  got  through  to  Salt  Lake  City  and  reported 
the  condition  of  the  colony  to  Governor  Young,  who 
immediately  called  out  three  companies  of  the  Utah 
militia  consisting  of  fifty  men  in  each  company.  One 
company  being  from  Davis  County  with  Horton  D. 
Haight  as  captain,  one  company  from  Weber  County 
and  the  other  from  Lehi,  Utah  County,  Abram 
Hatch,  Captain.  Colonel  Cunningham  of  Salt  Lake 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  99 


County  was  placed  in  command. 

We  were  called  out  on  the  fourth  of  March, 
1858,  and  started  on  the  10th.  Some  of  the  men  were 
poorly  clad  and  suffered  with  the  cold.  Every  man 
had  to  furnish  himself,  except  what  neighbors  were 
pleased  to  donate  to  help  him.  We  reached  the  fort 
on  March  27th,  seventeen  days  after  starting  and 
found  the  colonists  alright. 

The  commanding  officer  concluded  to  send  an 
express  of  ten  men  on  the  return  to  report  the  con- 
dition of  things,  which  was  opposed  by  all  the  othei 
officers,  but  he  was  obdurate  and  would  not  yield. 
The  men  were  selected  and  I  was  one  of  the  party. 
We  started  on  the  29th  of  March.  When  we  got  to 
Market  Lake,  we  met  a  party  of  Indians  who  had  the 
horse  that  George  McBride  was  riding  when  he  wa,i 
killed.  The  boys  seemed  determined  to  get  this  horse 
and  after  some  dickering  they  succeeded,  but  the  In- 
dians seemed  quite  sulky.  Just  as  we  were  ready  to 
start  someone  told  the  captain  that  they  had  seen  a 
cowhide  close  to  the  Indian  camp.  The  captain  fool- 
ishly accused  the  Indians  of  stealing  cattle  which 
made  the  chief  angry  and  he  raised  his  spear  and 
would  have  killed  the  captain,  had  not  Brother  Watts 
raised  his  gun  in  his  face,  shouted  at  him  which  made 
him  drop  his  spear.  The  chief  gave  a  war-whoop 
and  in  a  few  seconds  we  were  entirely  surrounded 
by  the  Indians  and  it  looked  as  though  we  would  all 
be  killed  on  the  spot,  but  brother  Watts  talked  to 
them  in  their  own  language  for  about  ten  minutes. 
Finally  he  went  up  to  the  captain  and  gave  him  a 
push  and  called  him  a  squaw.  This  saved  our  lives 
for  they  turned  away  and  left  us.  This  was  on  the 
first  of  April.  Again  on  the  4th  of  April,  the  Indians 


100  /  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


Canyon  about  thirty  jniles 
southwest  of  where  Pocatello  now  stands.  We  fought 
them  from  two  o'clock  p.  m.  until  after  sun  down 
when  they  pulled  off  and  left  us.  We  had  one  man 
killed  —  Bailey  Lake  of  Ogden  —  three  saddle  horses 
shot  and  we  lost  all  our  pack  animals  with  our  sup- 
plies and  one  extra  horse,  —  nineteen  head  in  all. 
Our  loss  was  not  less  than  $1,500.00.  We  were  one 
hundred  miles  from  any  settlement  and  two  men  were 
without  horses  to  ride.  We  traveled  this  distance  in 
forty-eight  hours  without  food  or  rest. 

The  names  of  those  in  this  party  were  Franklin 
Cummings,  George  W.  Hill,  Baldwin  H.  Watts,  Bai- 
ley Lake,  who  was  killed,  Thomas  Bingham,  George 
Barber,  Thomas  Blocksom,  John  B.  Blanchard,  J. 
T.  Workman  and  one  other  whose  name  I  have  for- 
gotten. 

The  last  of  the  company  arrived  on  April  20th 
and  we  were  honorably  discharged  after  having  been 
out  forty  days. 

(Signed)  F.  A.  Miller, 

Parker,  Fremont  County,  Idaho. 
July  2nd,  1906. 

THE  TINTIC  WAR. 

In  the  year  1856,  the  Indians,  a  part  of  the  Utos, 
again  became  hostile,  and  a  sufficient  number  of 
them  went  on  the  war  path  to  make  it  expensive, 
and  annoying  to  the  settlers.  The  Indians  were 
stealing  cattle  and  horses  in  Utah  and  Cedar  Valleys 
and  a  sub-chief  of  the  Utes  named  Tintic  was  the 
ring-leader  of  the  hostiles,  some  of  whom  dwelt  in  a 
Valley  subsequently  called  Tintic,  and  others  in  Ce- 
dar Valley;  both  of  these  valleys  lies  west  of  Utah 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  101 

ilimmiiiiiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiimiiiiiiiimiiiimiiiiiii  iiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniii 

Lake.     The  Indians  killed  two  herdsmen, — Herri  v 
Moren  and  Washington  Carson,  Feb.  21, 1856.    When 
these    two    men    did    not    return    when    expected 
a  search  was  instituted  by  the  citizens. 

A  POSSE  WENT  IN  PURSUIT  OF  CHIEF 
TINTIC  AND  BAND. 

Deputy  Marshal  Thomas  S.  Johnson  came  to 
Provo  and  enlisted  a  posse  of  about  ten  men  who, 
armed  with  writs  of  arrest,  issued  by  Judge  Drum- 
mond,  in  Utah  County,  set  out  for  Cedar  Valley  to 
apprehend  the  murderers.  The  posse  started  from 
Provo  and  went  by  way  of  Lehi  where  they  camped 
the  first  night.  Colonel  Conover  accompanied  the 
posse  as  far  as  Lehi,  at  which  point  he  left  for  Salt 
Lake  City  to  seek  advice  from  Governor  Brigham 
Young  who  at  that  time  was  also  superintendent  of 
Indian  affairs.  The  posse  proceeded  into  Cedar 
Valley,  and  while  Johnson  with  part  of  the  men 
went  to  the  north  settlement,  ten  men  were  detached 
to  go  to  the  south  fort,  afterwards  known  as  Camp 
_Flo_v^L  One  division  of  the  posse  was  under  com- 
mand of  Deputy  Marshal  George  Parish.  The  posse 
stayed  at  Cedar  Fort  during  the  night,  and  on  the 
following  morning  sent  interpreter  John  Clark  to 
the  Indian  camp,  about,  a  mile  .southwest  of  the  fort 
to  talk  to  Chief  Tintic  and  his  followers.  He  went 
to  the  chief's  tent,  where  several  Indians  were  pres- 
ent. Tintic  treated  the  matter  with  contempt,  and 
spoke  vilely  of  President  Young.  The  Indians  were 
talking  of  keeping  Clark  there  until  dark,  and  when 
he  should  start  away,  they  would  kill  him.  He 
(Clark)  understood  them ;  he  had  on  an  overcoat  and 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


Illllllllllllllll 


carried  two  revolvers  under  it  on  his  belt.  He  had 
walked  to  the  camp,  and  as  he  was  fast  on  foot  (being 
considerable  of  an  athlete)  he  intended  on  leaving  to 
dodge  round  as  he  ran.  Thus,  if  they  fired  at  him, 
they  would  not  be  likely  to  hit  him,  so  he  said  after- 
wards. 

While  talking,  a  squaw  on  the  outside  called  out, 
"Mommons  coming."  The  Indians,  while  in  conver- 
sation, had  stripped  and  painted  in  their  war-paints, 
and  prepared  for  fight;  they  had  their  spears  set 
up  against  the  tent  handy  to  get  at.  When  the  com- 
pany came  up,  Deputy  Sheriff  Parish  got  off  his 
horse  and  came  into  the  tent,  walked  up  to  Tintic, 
caught  him  by  the  hair  with  one  hand,  and  with  re- 
volver in  the  other  said:  "Tintic,  you  are  my  pris- 
oner. ' '  Tintic  grabbed  the  pistol  with  one  hand  and 
jumped,  the  pistol  went  off  and  shot  him  through 
the  hand ;  he  broke  loose  and  went  through  the  back 
of  the  tent;  then  firing  commenced.  Tintic 's  brother 
Battest  aimed  his  rifle  at  George  Parish  and  fired, 
but  the  gun-barrel  being  knocked  aside  the  bullet 
missed  its  mark.  One  of  Parish's  friends  then  drew 
his  revolver  and  shot  Battest  through  the  head,  kill- 
ing him  instantly.  A  general  fight  followed  in 
which  one  of  the  posse,  George  Carson  was  mortal- 
ly wounded,  one  squaw  and  three  or  four  Indians 
were  also  killed  and  several  wounded.  At  this  junc- 
ture, John  Clark,  the  interpreter,  ran  back  into  the 
tent  and  got  two  guns  and  four  or  five  bows  and 
quivers  of  arrows,  ran  out,  untied  Tintic 's  and  his 
brother's  horses,  jumped  onto  Tintic 's  horse  arid 
led  the  other.  He  laid  down  on  the  horse  as  he  rode 
away,  with  bullets  whistling  by  him,  but  escaped 
without  injury.  All  went  back  to  the  fort.  A  mes- 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  103 


senger  was  sent  to  notify  Deputy  Marshal  Tom 
Johnson  who  came  immediately  with  the  remainder 
of  the  posse.  That  night  the  Indians  killed  two 
boys,  by  the  name  of  Henry  Moran  and  William 
Carson  who  were  herding  sheep  on  the  west  side  of 
Utah  Lake.  The  next  morning  the  posse  followed 
the  trail  of  the  Indians  who  left  during  the  m&I.t, 
and  found  them  camped  on  thesije ~of  a. mountain 
in  the  cedars  on  the~egsfc=sdrle  of  ^RiijOTVaTlej^  A 
parley  was  held,  but  the  Indians  refused  to  sur- 
render and  fired  upon  the  posse.  It  being  late  in  the 
evening  the  Deputy  Marshal  deemed  it  wise  to  re- 
turn to  the  fort  with  the  intention  to  pursue  the  next 
day ;  but  in  the  morning  they  found  the  Indian  camp 
broken  up  and  the  Indians  going  in  a  direction  where 
they  would  be  overtaken  by  Colonel  Conover 's  com- 
pany, the  posse  gave  up  the  pursuit,  turned  attention 
to  the  security  of  the  settlements,  and  in  searching 
for  the  other  two,  Moran  and  Carson  and  young  Hun- 
saker,  a  thirteen  year  old  boy  whom  the  Indians 
had  also  killed;  they  found  them  where  the  Indians 
had  killed  them.  Meantime,  Governor  Young  had 
given  orders  to  Colonel  Peter  W.  Conover  to  raise  a 
company  of  the  Utah  County  Militia,  pursue  the  In- 
dians and  recover  the  Hunsaker  herd  of  stock  which 
had  been  driven  off  after  killing  the  herds -men.  Ac- 
cordingly, Col.  Conover,  with  eighty  men  pursued, 
crossed  the  Utah  lake  on  ice,  and  took  the  trail  of  the 
Indians  where  they  crossed  the  mountains. 

The  company  pursued  all  day  and  camped  in 
Tintic  Valley,  just  out  of  the  mouth  of  a  canyon.  On 
the  second  day  the  pursuing  party  came  so  close 
upon  the  Indians  in  the  lower  end  of  Tintic  Valley 
that  they  took  fright  and  left  the  stock  behind  ex- 


104  INDIAN  DEPKEDATIONS 

iiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiii iiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii 

cept  a  few  saddle  horses ;  and  the  expedition  return- 
ed with  the  stock. 

Bishop  Nephi  Packard,  to  whom  we  are  indebted 
for  some  of  this  information  says — "While  at  the 
fort,  the  citizens  brought  in  the  bodies  of  Moran  and 
Carson,  frozen  stiff.  Their  bodies  had  been  mutila- 
ted, and  when  they  were  thawed  out  with  warm  water 
for  the  purpose  of  dressing  them,  it  created  a  stench 
which  together  with  the  sight  of  their  mutilated 
bodies,  made  him  sick.  They  were  buried  there.*' 

PROM  TULLIDGE'S   HISTORY,   VOL.   3,   PAGE   157. 
By  John  Banks. 

John  Banks  of  Spanish  Fork,  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  that  place  communicated  the  following  addi- 
tional details  confirming  the  Tintic  War,  which 
was  supplied  in  Tullidge's  History,  Vol.  3,  p.  157. 

In  February  1856,  T.  S.  Johnson,  a  U.  S.  Deputy 
Marshal,  came  to  Palmyra  in  pursuit  of  Indians 
who  had  been  committing  depredations  on  the  whites, 
expecting  that  he  would  find  some  of  them  with 
Peteetneet 's  band,  but  failed.  He  then  received  word 
by  express  that  the  Indians  had  killed  two  of  the 
Hunsaker's  herds-men,  on  the  west  side  of  Utah 
lake,  and  that  a  herd-boy  was  missing  who  was  sup- 
posed to  be  killed  also,  for  the  Indians  had  taken  the 
whole  herd  of  cattle.  Peteetneet,  the  chief  of  the 
Indians  on  the  Spanish  Fork,  being  friendly  dis- 
posed was  consulted.  Peteetneet  was  grieved  at  the 
hostilities  of  Tintic  and  his  band,  and  remarked  that 
Tintic  had  ears  that  were  no  good  and  of  no  use  to 
him.  He  had  good  council  given  him,  but  he  would 
not  hear  it,  and  (Peteetneet)  wanted  Peanitch,  the 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS         105 

•Illilllllllllllll Illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllltlllllllllllltllllllllllll llltlll  • 

Indian  guide,  and  three  others,  when  they  would  find 
Tintic,  to  cut  off  his  ears,  as  they  were  of  no  good. 
This  talk  took  place  just  before  the  Marshal,  with 
about  seventy-five  men  left  Palmyra  for  the  west 
mountains.  '  *  This  was  a  very  exciting  time, ' '  writes 
John  Banks.  "We  camped  the  first  night  on  the 
north  end  of  the  so-called  west  mountain,  where  we 
experienced  an  extremely  cold  night,  without  any 
bedding  except  our  saddle  blankets,  and  were  not 
allowed  to  have  any  fire  after  sundown.  When  day 
dawned  we  learned  that  several  of  our  men  had 
frozen  feet,  and  consequently  had  to  return  home. 
Among  those  with  frozen  feet  was  William  Fair- 
banks of  Payson,  but  he  would  not  return  home. 
Early  in  the  morning  we  saddled  our  horses,  and 
the  order,  "mount,  forward  march,"  was  gvien. 
Fairbanks  would  continue  the  march,  nothwithstand- 
ing  he  suffered  much  during  the  expedition.  We  had 
not  gone  far  before  we  struck  the  trail  of  an  Indian, 
which  track  we  followed  on  the  ice  across  the  Utah 
Lake,  till  we  came  to  the  dugout  where  Hunsaker's 
two  herdsmen  had  been  killed  in  the  cedars.  The 
blood  was  lickered  in  the  sand,  the  sight  of  which 
caused  quite  a  sensation.  Orders  were  given  to 
scout.  Scouters  returned  with  an  ox,  which  was  soon 
killed,  and  a  time  of  general  sharpening  of  sticks 
to  roast  beef  for  dinner  took  place.  Meanwhile, 
the  officers  consulted  each  others  as  to  the  best 
course  to  pursue,  and  decided  that  the  men  be  divi- 
ded into  tens  to  examine  the  most  likely  places  for 
Indians  or  to  ascertain  which  way  they  had  gone. 
This  was  soon  found  out,  and  when  the  signal  was 
given  that  the  trail  had  been  discovered,  the  whole 
company  marched  up  the  canyon,  leading  to  what  is 


106  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

•  I Illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllltllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll 

now  called  Tintic  Valley.  The  name  of  the  place 
originated  with  this  expedition,  said  valley  being 
until  that  time  unexplored  by  white  men.  We  learn- 
ed that  the  Indians  had  taken  a  southwesterly  di- 
rection and  as  we  journeyed  on  we  had  to  encounter 
deep  snow  and  exceedingly  cold  weather.  Frequent- 
ly we  saw  cattle  standing  up,  braced  in  the  snow, 
frozen  quite  stiff.  In  this  locality  we  expected  to  get 
our  supply  of  food  on  our  return  provided  we  did  not 
overtake  the  Indians.  We  pushed  forward  as  fast  as 
we  could,  and  as  we  came  on  their  camping  places  we 
could  learn  how  fast  we  were  gaining  ground  on 
them.  We  made  three  of  their  days  travel  in  one 
day.  The  third  day  we  saw  their  camp  fire  smoke, 
but  we  did  not  like  the  location,  as  it  seemed  like  we 
were  marching  right  into  the  fortification  of  the 
savages.  Passing  a  heavy  body  of  cedars,  we  found 
ourselves  on  the  edge  of  the  great  desert,  where  we 
were  pleased  to  discover  some  stock  and  we  picked 
out  the  best  beef  from  seventy-five  head,  having  had 
nothing  to  eat  that  morning.  Our  Indian  guide 
informing  us  that  it  was  about  six  miles  to  the  Sevier 
River,  orders  were  given  to  march  thither  to  water 
our  stock.  There  was  no  trail  to  follow — the  Indians 
having  scattered  in  every  direction.  Our  horses  had 
been  without  water  since  we  left  the  Utah  Lake.  We 
camped  on  Sevier  river  that  night.  Early  next 
morning  we  found  thirty  head  of  horses,  but  no  In- 
dians. We  then  traveled  up  the  river  in  a  northeast- 
erly direction  and  came  out  at  Nephi.  The  inhabi- 
tants rallied  to  a  point  on  the  north  side  of  the  herd 
to  save  the  cattle.  There  being  a  raise  of  land  in- 
tervening between  us,  the  one  party  could  not  see  the 
other  for  a  little  while.  The  next  time  thev  saw  us 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


the  supposed  Indians  were  making  for  the  settle- 
ment, and  would  take  the  town  ere  any  of  the  citizens 
could  get  back.  It  was  a  time  of  general  rejoice- 
ing  with  the  Nephites  when  they  found  the  supposed 
Lamanites  were  their  friends;  and,  on  the  other 
hand,  we  rejoiced  on  being  well  treated,  and  having 
plenty  of  good  food  to  eat,  having  had  nothing  to 
eat  for  seven  days  previous  except  fresh  beef,  with- 
out salt. — weary  and  tired,  we  appreciated  the  com- 
fortable beds  and  happy  rest  afforded  us  that  night. 
Next  morning  we,  with  grateful  hearts,  shook  hands 
with  our  Nephi  friends,  started  for  home,  and  great 
was  our  mutual  joy. 

Deseret  News  of  March  5th,  1856,  published  the 
following : 

' '  Tintic,  head  chief  of  the  disaffected  band,  and 
who  was  wounded  in  the  skirmish  near  the  south  fort 
in  Cedar  Valley,  is  reported  dead. ' ' 

FOUR  PERSONS  MASSACRED  IN 
SALT  CREEK  CANYON. 

June  4th. — Jens  Jorgensen  and  wife,  Jens  Ter- 
klesen  and  Christian  E.  Kjerluf  were  massacred  by 
Indians  in  Salt  Creek  Canyon,  June  4th,  1858  while 
traveling  unarmed  on  their  way  to  Sanpete  Valley. 
They  had  camped  at  the  head  waters  in  the  canyon. 
After  traveling  about  a  mile  after  dinner,  and  having 
reached  a  point  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the 
head  of  the  canyon,  some  Indians  came  from  their 
hiding  place  and  attacked  them;  two  of  the  men, 
were  killed  in  the  wagon,  and  burned  with  it.  One 
man  was  killed  about  fifty  yards  from  the  wagon, 
and  the  woman  was  found  dead  close  by  the  wagon, 


INDIAN  DEPKEDATIONS 


imimiiimii 


making  four  killed.  John  Ericksen,  the  only  one 
who  escaped,  made  his  way  to  Ephraim  where  he  ar- 
rived about  dark.  An  ox  hitched  onto  a  hand-cart, 
and  driven  by  one  of  the  men,  got  frightened,  and 
ran  back  to  Nephi. 

The  bodies  were  brought  to  Ephraim  for  burial. 
These  people  were  on  their  way  to  Ephraim  where 
they  intended  to  settle. 

(Most  of  this  information  was  obtained  from 
N.  0.  Anderson  of  Glenwood  Utah.) 

THE  BODIES  OF  JOSIAH  CALL  AND  SAMUEL 

BROWN  FOUND  MURDERED  AT  CHICKEN 

CREEK,  JUAB  COUNTY. 

On  October  15th,  1858. — The  remains  of  Josiah 
Call  and  Samuel  Brown,  of  Fillmore,  Millard  County, 
were  found  in  a  state  of  decomposition  near  Chicken 
Creek  bridge,  Juab  County.  They  had  been  mur- 
dered by  Indians  on  October  7th. 

The  following  details  of  the  murder  are  culled 
from  the  Deseret  News  of  Nov.  3, 1858 : 

On  Friday  last  some  fifteen  men  started  again  to 
renew  the  search,  they  met  Brother  Shepherd  at 
Cedar  Springs,  who  had  just  come  in  from  the  north. 
He  told  them  that  he  saw  a  dead  body  about  two 
miles  south  of  Chicken  Creek ;  accordingly  they  pro- 
ceeded forthwith  to  the  place  and  found  both  bodies 
within  about  two  hundred  yards  of  each  other. 
Brother  Brown  was  shot  through  the  heart,  scalped, 
and  his  throat  cut.  Birds  had  eaten  the  flesh  from 
Brother  Call's  bones,  with  the  exception  of  the  left 
leg  below  the  knee  and  his  left  arm;  but  it  was 
evident  he  had  been  shot  three  times ;  once  through 


INDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS  109 

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiMimiiiiiiiiiiiiii "in iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiii 

the  right  breast,  the  ball  lodging  in  the  back  bone; 
once  through  the  left  ankle  and  once  through  the 
head,  the  ball  entering  the  back  part  of  the  skull  near 
the  seam  and  coming  out  at  the  left  side  of  the  nose. 
It  is  supposed  his  throat  was  also  cut,  as  the  blood 
had  run  from  where  his  neck  lay  and  his  right  arm 
was  entirely  gone  and  was  not  be  found.  They  were 
both  stripped  of  all  their  clothing  except  their  un- 
der clothes,  shoes  and  stockings.  The  remains  were 
this  day  interred  in  the  cemetery  of  this  place,  the 
occasion  being  one  the  most  solemn  I  ever  witnes- 
sed. 

MURDER  OF  A  PEACEABLE  INDIAN  BY  OFFICERS 
FROM  CAMP  FLOYD. 

Fillmore  City,  Apr.  10th,  1860. 
From  Deseret  News : 

Yesterday  I  heard  of  the  most  outragous  mur- 
der that  has  come  to  my  knowledge  for  some  time. 
When  the  company  returned  from  the  Colorado  they 
brought  an  Indian  with  them  who  has  been  living 
at  Cedar  Springs  with  David  Savage  ever  since. 
Some  few  days  since,  an  Officer  by  the  name  of  Kirk, 
in  company  with  one  Johnston,  came  to  the  Springs 
— with  a  writ  for  the  Indian,  whose  name  was  John 
The  officer  served  the  writ  by  arresting  the  Indian, 
and  then  started  with  him  immediately  for  Camp 
Floyd.  Shortly  afterwards  a  rumor  reached  our 
City  to  the  effect  that  the  Indian  had  been  murdered 
on  the  Sevier  near  the  bridge,  and  thrown  into  the 
river.  Bishop  Brunson  and  some  others  saddled 
their  horses  and  rode  to  the  place  designated  to 
ascertain  the  truth  of  the  report;  they  made  search 
and  found  the  body  in  the  river,  a  short  distance 


110  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


below  the  place  described.  On  taking  the  body  from 
the  water,  they  found  it  had  been  pierced  with  four 
bullets,  two  passing  through  near  the  heart.  The 
savage  custom  of  scalping  had  also  been  performed 
upon  the  Indian.  Such  laurels  are  easier  won  than 
worn. 

March  22nd,  I860.— The  Overland  Mail  Coach 
with  four  passengers  was  attacked  by  Indians  near 
Eight  Mile  Station,  Tooele  County.  Henry  Harper, 
the  driver,  was  killed  and  one  passenger  wounded. 
Judge  Mott,  Delegate  to  Congress  from  Nevada, 
who  was  in  the  coach  took  the  reins,  drove  for  his 
life  and  escaped. 

MAIL  STATION  AT  DEEP  CREEK  AT- 
TACKED, ONE  MAN  SHOT. 

May  28th,  1860 — The  Indians  attacked  the  mail 
station  at  Deep  Creek,  Tooele  County,  shot  a  man 
juid  stole  several  horses. 

ATTACK  ON  SMITHFIELD.    JOHN  REED 
AND  IRA  MERRILL  KILLED. 

July  22nd  Smithfield,  Cache  County,  was  attack- 
ed by  Indians.  A  fight  ensued :  John  Reed  and  Ira 
Merrill  and  two  Indians  were  killed  and  several 
others  wounded  on  both  sides.  The  Indians  sought  to 
liberate  one  of  their  number  who  had  been  captured 
while  stealing  horses,  but  in  the  melee  the  guilty  In 
dian  and  another  were  killed.  Previous  to  this  time, 
the  Indians  made  a  similar  attempt  of  rescuing 
another  at  Logan,  Cache  Valley,  Utah,  but  the 
whites  rallied  quickly,  and  in  force,  defeated  the  at- 
tempt. 


INDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS  111 


COLONEL  CONNOR'S   COMMAND 
START  TO  BEAR  RIVER. 

On  the  19th  of  January,  1863,  a  miner  named 
William  Bevins  made  affidavit  before  Chief  Jus- 
tice John  F.  Kinney  in  Salt  Lake  City  to  the  effect 
that  about  ten  days  previous,  he  and  party  number- 
ing eight  men,  who  were  on  their  way  to  the  Grass- 
hopper Gold  Mines  in  Dakota  were  attacked  in 
Cache  Valley  by  Indians  and  one  of  their  number 
killed.  He  also  reported  that  another  party  of  ten 
miners  enroute  to  Salt  Lake  City  had  been  assaulted 
and  murdered  by  the  same  Indians,  in  the  same 
locality.  Upon  this  information  warrants  for  the 
arrest  of  three  of  the  chiefs  were  issued  and  placed 
in  the  hands  of  the  United  States  Marshal  Isaac 
L.  Gibbs,  who,  realizing  that  resistance  would  be  of- 
fered, laid  the  matter  before  Colonel  Connor.  Three 
days  later  a  company  of  Infantry  with  two  how- 
itzers started  for  the  camp  of  the  hostiles,  and  on 
Sunday  evening  the  25th,  four  companies  of  cavalry, 
under  command  of  Colonel  Connor  himself  followed. 
Marshal  Gibbs  accompanied  the  expedition,  though 
with  what  purpose  is  not  clear,  as  the  mission  and 
intent  of  the  troops  was  to  summarily  punish,  and 
not  merely  to  arrest  the  savages  for  the  various 
crimes  and  depredations  of  which  they  were  ac- 
cused. The  Colonel  in  his  report  said  he  informed 
the  Marshal  that  all  arrangements  for  the  expedi- 
tion were  already  made,  and  that  the  civil  process 
had  little  to  do  with  it  is  evident  from  the  Colonel's 
further  remarks :  being  satisfied  that  they  (the  In- 
dians) were  part  of  the  same  band  who  had  been 
murdering  emigrants  on  the  overland  mail  route 


112  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

for  the  past  fifteen  years,  and  the  principal  actors 
and  leaders  in  the  horrid  massacre  of  the  previous 
summer.  I  determined  although  the  weather  was 
unfavorable  to  an  expedition  to  chastise  them,  if 
possible.  Tuesday  night  the  27th,  the  cavalry  force 
overtook  the  infantry  at  Mendon,  Cache  County ;  but 
the  infantry  at  once  resumed  the  march  and  were 
again  overtaken  during  the  following  night  at  Frank- 
lin, twelve  miles  from  the  Indian  encampment. 

COLONEL  CONNOR'S  BATTLE  AT 
BEAR  RIVER. 

At  3  o'clock,  on  the  morning  of  Jan.  29th,  the 
infantry  was  in  motion  and  an  hour  later  the  cavalry 
set  out,  overtaking  and  passing  their  plodding  com- 
rades about  four  miles  south  of  the  river.  The  battle 
began  at  6  o'clock.  The  Indians  having  detected  the 
efforts  of  the  mounted  troops  to  surround  them,  and 
defeating  it  by  at  once  engaging  them.  The  posi- 
tion of  the  savages  was  one  of  great  natural  strength, 
and  they  had  improved  it  with  considerable  ingen- 
uity. A  narrow  dry  ravine  with  steep  rocky  sides 
sheltered  them  from  the  fire  of  the  soldiers,  who, 
advancing  along  the  level  table  land  through  which 
the  gorge  ran,  were  exposed  to  the  murderous  vol- 
leys of  the  concealed  foe.  Steps  cut  in  the  bank  en- 
abled the  Indians  to  ascend  and  descend  as  necessity 
required,  and  artificial  copses  of  willows  served  as 
additional  defenses  where  the  ravine's  course  left  an 
exposed  point.  The  battle  opened  inauspiciously 
for  the  troops  who  quickly  saw  the  disadvantage  at 
which  they  were  placed.  Several  fell  killed  and 
wounded  at  first  fire.  The  Indians  gleefully  not- 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  113 


ing  the  fact,  and  defying  the  survivors  to  "come  on." 
Meantime  the  infantry,  whose  advance  had  been 
checked  by  the  swift  icy  waters  of  the  Bear  River 
until  horses  furnished  by  the  cavalry  had  assisted 
them  over  the  stream,  had  joined  in  the  engagement; 
and  a  successful  flanking  movement  soon  afterwards 
enabled  the  troops  to  pour  an  infilading  fire  into  the 
enemy's  camp.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  end; 
for  though  the  savages  fought  with  fury  they  were 
now  at  a  disadvantage  and  were  met  by  a  line  of  sol- 
diers at  either  end  of  the  ravine,  as  they  moved  to- 
wards the  lower  end.  The  colonel  ordered  his  troops 
thither,  disposing  of  the  calavry  so  as  to  cut  off 
escape.  One  company  stood  at  the  mouth  of  the 
gorge  and  visited  terrible  execution  upon  the  enemy ; 
at  a  single  spot  forty-eight  corpses  were  afterwards 
counted.  By  ten  o'clock  the  savages  were  complete- 
ly routed  and  the  slaughter  was  ended.  Two  hun- 
dred and  twenty-four  warriors,  it  is  claimed,  where 
found  dead  upon  the  field — but  this  number  may 
have  been  exaggerated.  Among  them  were  the  chiefs 
Bear  Hunter,  Sagwitch  and  Lehi.  The  first  it  is 
said  falling  into  the  fire  at  which  he  was  moulding 
bullets,  and  being  literally  roasted.  Sanpitch  one 
of  the  chiefs  named  in  Judge  Kinney's  warrant  made 
his  escape,  as  did  also  Pocatello,  and  probably  fifty 
braves.  The  fighting  strength  of  the  Indians  were 
estimated  to  be  over  three  hundred.  One  hundred 
and  sixty  squaws  and  children  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  victors,  and  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
ponies  were  captured  in  the  camp;  seventy  lodges 
were  burned;  and  a  large  quantity  of  grain,  imple- 
ments and  other  property  believed  to  have  been 
stolen  from  emigrants.  That  which  was  not  neces- 


114  INDIAN  DEPBEDATIONS 


IMIMIIMIIIII 


sary  for  the  captives  was  either  destroyed  or  carried 
to  Camp  Douglas  and  sold.  On  his  side  Colonel 
Connor  lost  fourteen  men  and  forty-nine  were  wound- 
ed during  the  engagement.  Eight  died  within  ten 
days.  The  force  in  the  outset  numbered  three  hun- 
dred men.  But  not  more  than  two  hundred  were  in 
the  fight;  the  remainder  were  either  teamsters  or 
men  incapacitated  by  frozen  feet.  The  hardships  of 
the  journey  were  extreme.  The  snow  being  deep  and 
the  cold  intense.  The  casualties  of  this  latter  class 
were  seventy-nine,  and  the  commanding  officer  in 
his  report  expressed  the  fear  that  many  of  the  vic- 
tims would  be  crippled  for  life.  Colonel  Connor  em- 
ployed as  his  guide  on  this  expedition  the  experien- 
ced Mountaineer  Orrin  P.  Rockwell,  who  rendered 
the  command  very  efficient  service;  without  which 
it  is  believed  many  more  of  the  soldiers  would  have 
perished  by  being  frozen.  This  fact  accounts  for 
the  friendly  feeling  that  Connor  always  entertained 
towards  Rockwell. 

The  dead  and  wounded  arrived  at  Camp  Doug- 
las on  the  night  of  the  2nd  of  February  and  on  Wed- 
nesday the  4th,  the  survivors  were  again  at  their 
quarters.  Next  day,  the  5th,  fifteen  of  the  dead  were 
buried  with  military  honors.  Theirs  being  the  con- 
secrating dust  of  the  beautiful  little  cemetery  at  the 
fort.  On  the  6th,  Lieutenant  Darwin  Chase  who 
died  of  his  wounds  on  the  night  of  the  4th,  at  Farm- 
ington  was  buried  with  Masonic  and  martial  honors ; 
he  had  once  been  a  Mormon  Elder.  At  dress  parade 
on  Sunday,  the  8th,  the  colonel's  complimentary  or- 
der was  read,  and  that  same  day  the  two  who  were 
the  last  to  die  of  their  wounds  were  placed  by  the 
side  of  their  deceased  comrades.  If  the  battle  in  its 


INDIAN  DEPBEDATIONS  115 

latest  stage  had  possessed  less  of  the  elements  of  a 
massacre  Colonel  Conner  and  his  command  would 
have  been  more  generally  praised  by  the  people ;  but 
perhaps  it  would  not  then  have  proved  a  lesson  so 
well  to  be  remembered  by  the  savages.  As  it  was,  it 
completely  broke  the  power  of  the  Indians  there 
and  conveyed  to  them  a  warning  that  it  has  never 
been  necessary  to  repeat.  In  a  letter  to  General 
Wright  commanding  the  department  of  the  Pacific, 
General  in  Chief  Halleck  wrote  from  Washington 
under  the  date  of  March  29th,  highly  praising  the 
courage  and  discretion  of  the  colonel  and  his  brave 
Calif  ornians.  And  in  a  dispatch  of  the  same  date  to 
Colonel  Connor,  he  and  his  command  were  congratu- 
lated on  their  heroic  and  brilliant  victory.  And  the 
commander  was  notified  that  he  was  that  day  ap- 
pointed a  brigadier  general. 

ATTACK  ON  A  PLATOON  OF  SOLDIERS 
AT  PLEASANT  GROVE. 

April  12th.  William  H.  Seegmiller  of  Rich- 
field, Sevier  County,  Utah,  gives  the  following  ac- 
count of  a  fight  between  a  small  party  of  soldiers 
from  Camp  Douglas  and  a  band  of  Indians  under 
chief  Little  Soldier  at  Pleasant  Grove,  Utah  County. 

Returning  from  San  Pedro  (Cal.)  with  Wood- 
mansee  Bros. '  freight  train,  Sam  Serine,  captain,  on 
the  evening  of  April  12,  1863,  we  camped  at  Pleas- 
ant Grove,  Utah  County.  We  had  been  camped  but 
a  short  time  when  a  band  of  Indians,  probably  fifty, 
under  the  leadership  of  Little  Soldier  came  to  our 
camp  and  inquired  if  we  were  Americats.  We  nas- 
wered  no,  and  he  then  asked  if  we  knew  where  the 


116  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

Americats  were  camped,  we  told  them  that  we  did 
not  know.  They  then  said:  'we  find  them.'  They 
passed  on  down  the  street  towards  the  center  of  town. 
Some  of  Brigadier  General  Connor's  command  from 
Fort  Douglas  were  in  town,  we  saw  two  or  three  wa- 
gons with  heavy  canvas  covers  on  and  some  mules ; 
also  teamsters  and  a  few  soldiers.  Soon  we  heard 
a  loud  report,  and  learned  that  Connor's  men  had 
found  out  that  the  Indians  were  coming  for  them, 
and  had  shot  a  " Howitzer"  a  small  cannon,  at  them 
as  they  were  turning  to  go  south  to  where  the  sol- 
diere  were  located.  We  were  informed  that  the  sol- 
diers went  to  Samuel  Green's  house  on  the  east  side 
of  the  road  and  asked  the  people  to  leave,  which, 
they  did  in  a  hurry.  The  soldiers  then  went  into 
the  house,  pulled  their  cannon  in  with  them,  pulled 
up  some  of  the  floor  and  got  under  it  leaving  their 
wagons  in  the  road  and  their  mules  and  horses  were 
in  a  corral  on  the  west  side  of  the  street.  The  In- 
dians dared  not  follow  the  troops  into  the  house,  but 
shot  into  it  through  the  door  and  window,  pepper- 
ing the  back  wall  with  bullets.  When  the  Indians 
saw  they  could  not  successfully  rout  the  soldiers  or 
kill  them,  they  turned  their  attention  to  booty.  But 
when  the  soldiers  saw  they  were  going  to  lose  their 
horses  they  fired  a  charge  of  grape  shot  from  their 
cannon  into  the  corral  at  their  animals,  prefering 
to  kill  them  to  letting  the  Indians  get  them,  they 
killed  and  maimed  some,  the  Indians  got  those  not 
hurt  and  loaded  them  with  blankets  and  supplies, 
and  struck  for  the  mountains  very  much  pleased 
with  their  success  as  manifested  by  their  chatter 
and  antics. 


INDIAN  DEPBEDATIONS  117 

When  the  first  shot  was  fired  from  the  cannon 
it  was  not  aimed  at  the  Indians  but  over  t!  em  to 
scare  and  stop  them,  it  was  loaded  with  a  bomb  which 
v»ent  over  the  Indians  and  corral  and  struck  and  ex- 
ploded in  William  H.  Adam's  field  west  of  town 
about  where  the  railroad  track  now  is.  Rome  of 
this  information  is  given  by  Wm.  H.  Adams,  Jr.,  an 
eye  witness.  When  the  Indians  left,  some  of  the  men 
of  town  went  to  the  house  where  the  soldiers  were 
to  learn  from  them  what  should  be  done,  and  were  in- 
formed that  a  company  of  soldiers  were  follow- 
ing them.  These  men  went  in  the  night  soon  after 
dark  and  found  this  company  camped  at  the  Warm 
Springs  at  the  point  of  the  mountain  in  the  south 
end  of  Salt  Lake  Valley,  and  reported.  They  im- 
mediately broke  camp  and  proceeded  to  Pleasant 
Grove. 

W.  H.  Seegmiller  continues: 

The  following  morning  I  went  down  town  and 
found  Brigadier  General  Connor  and  quite  a  num- 
ber of  his  cavalry.  Orrin  Porter  Rockwell  was  also 
with  them.  They  had  arrived  during  the  previous 
night.  On  the  day  before  the  attack  by  Little  Soldier 
and  his  warriors  we  learned  at  Spanish  Fork  that 
some  of  General  Connor's  soldiers,  on  the  bench 
above  Spanish  Fork  met  an  Indian,  Pintutch,  going 
to  his  wickiup  from  town  and  killed  him  on  the  edge 
of  a  ditch  in  the  southwest  corner  of  town,  by  beat- 
ing him  over  the  head  with  their  muskets.  That  no 
doubt  was  the  cause  of  Little  Soldier  and  his  band 
attacking  General  Connor's  outfit  at  Pleasant  Grove. 
I  will  ever  remember  the  appearance  of  Little  Sold- 
ier and  his  Indians.  None  of  them  wore  much 
clothing,  a  breech  clout  and  mocassins  were  their 


118  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

uniform;  their  faces  were  painted  black,  all  seemed 
to  have  guns  and  pistols,  and  some  had  bows  and 
quivers  of  arrows.  On  April  13th,  we  arrived  in 
Salt  Lake  City.  Having  been  invited  by  President 
Brigham  Young  before  starting  to  California  to  call 
on  him  on  my  return.  I  did  so  on  the  evening  of  my 
return.  While  I  was  conversing  with  the  President, 
Orrin  Porter  Rockwell  called  and  gave  President 
Young  an  account  of  the  affair  with  the  Indians  at 
Pleasant  Grove.  I  listened  very  attentively  to  his 
recital  of  the  matter,  and  he  freely  told  the  above  as 
I  understood  it. 

0.  Porter  Rockwell  while  at  Pleasant  Grove  was 
taken  to  be  slightly  intoxicated.  He  was  active  in 
moving  among  the  crowd  at  the  soldiers '  camp ;  this 
all  seems  very  distinct  even  now,  I  thought  him  al- 
most silly  with  drink  and  had  little  respect  for  him, 
until  this  interview  with  President  Young.  On  that 
occasion  he  was  well  dressed  in  a  black  broadcloth 
suit,  wore  neatly  polished  shoes  and  a  black  silk 
hat ;  his  language  was  free  and  grammatical.  I  con- 
cluded then  that  Rockwell  lived  a  double  live  in  the 
interest  of  his  friends  and  God's  cause  on  the  earth. 
I  will  ever  remember  him  with  esteem. ' ' 

INDIAN  OUTRAGE  IN  BOXELDER 
COUNTY,  WM.  THORP  KILLED. 

Copied  from  Desert  News,  Vol.  12,  page  364. 

On  the  afternoon  of  Friday  last,  May  18th, 
as  reported  by  Mr.  Burt,  of  Brigham  City,  six 
or  eight  Indians  of  Sagwitch's  band,  as  supposed, 
made  their  appearance  in  Box  Elder  Canyon,  or  in 
the  Little  Valley,  about  four  miles  from  Brigham 


INDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS  119 


in inn 


City  at  a  herd  house,  and  made  inquiry  of  a  boy 
who  was  there  alone  relative  to  the  whereabouts  of 
the  soldiers.  The  boy  replied  that  he  did  not  know, 
but  supposed  they  were  in  Salt  Lake  City,  for  he  had 
not  heard  that  any  portion  of  General  Connor's 
command  was  moving  northward.  The  savages  told 
the  boy  he  was  a  liar,  and  designated  the  place  where 
the  soldiers  camped  the  night  before.  They  then 
took  the  lad's  hat  and  two  horses  that  were  near  by 
and  went  to  the  herd  some  distance  away,  where  they 
got  eight  or  nine  more,  which  they  succeeded  in  driv- 
ing off,  making  ten  or  eleven  in  all.  They  made  a 
strenuous  effort  to  drive  away  the  entire  herd  of 
cattle  grazing  in  the  canyon,  but  were  prevented  by 
eight  or  ten  Danishmen,  who  were  making  a  farm  in 
the  valley  not  far  from  the  herd.  These  men  were 
unarmed,  but  on  seeng  the  movements  of  the  free- 
booters, they  immediately  took  measures  to  defeat 
their  object,  which,  after  a  severe  struggle  with  the 
red  men,  they  succeeded  in  accomplishing. — On  being 
convinced  that  they  could  not  get  the  cattle,  the  In- 
dians fled  with  the  horses,  and  in  their  flight  came 
upon  a  man  by  the  name  of  William  Thorp  who  was 
burning  coal  in  the  side  canyon,  whom  they  killed 
with  arrows,  the  party  having  no  guns.  The  body 
of  the  murdered  man  was  found  the  following  day 
considerably  mutilated. 

STAGE  ATTACKED  IN  CEDAR  VALLEY, 
TWO  MEN  KILLED. 

June  10th.  The  Stage  Coach  was  attacked  by 
mounted  Indians  between  Fort  Critenden  and  the 
Jordan  River,  Utah  County.  The  driver,  Wood 


120  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

Reynolds   and  another  man  was  killed  and  their 
bodies  fearfully  mutilated  by  the  savages. 

TREATY  AT  BRIGHAM  CITY,  WITH 
SHOSHONE  INDIANS. 

July  30.  Governor  Doty  and  General  Connor 
made  a  treaty  of  peace  with  the  Sho shone  Indians 
at  Brigham  City. 

In  August,  the  troops  under  command  of  Cap- 
tain Smith  killed  twelve  Indians  near  Shell  Creek 
Station,  Utah. 

STATEMENT  BY  N.  0.  ANDERSON  OF  EPHRAIM. 

On  June  1st,  1863,  I  was  in  company  with  Ras- 
mus Hansen  Kleurke  and  James  P.  Larsen.  We 
were  driving  a  band  of  horses  south  along  a  steep 
wash  known  as  Willow  Creek  Wash,  we  saw  three 
Indians,  who  were  on  the  west  side  of  the  wash, 
while  we  were  on  the  east  side.  When  we  came  to 
them  I  recognized  one  of  them  as  Jake  Arrapeen, 
the  old  chief's  son  with  whom  I  was  well  acquainted. 
I  was  about  two  rods  from  him  when  he  pointed 
his  gun  at  me.  I  looked  at  his  gun,  saw  that  the 
hammer  was  back  and  that  his  finger  was  on  the 
trigger.  Speaking  to  James  Larsen,  he  said  "Let 
us  run  a  race."  Larsen  answered  in  the  negative, 
which  did  not  suit  him,  so  he  pointed  his  gun  at 
James.  Rasmus  seeing  the  Indian  pointing  his  gun 
asked,  "Is  he  pointing  at  you,  boys."  We  answered 
that  he  was.  Rasmus  who  was  one  hundred  and  fifty 

yards  distant,  said,  "Tell  him  to  go  to  H ."    At 

that  the  Indian  raised  his  gun  and  shot  at  Rasmus, 
the  ball  passing  close  by  Jim  and  me  as  we  were  in 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  121 

line..  It  passed  in  front  of  Rasmus,  just  over  the 
horn  of  his  saddle.  We  then  all  rode  up  to  Jake  an<l 
Rasmus  said,  "If  I  had  my  pistol  here,  I  would 
shoot  you,  you  son  of  a  B — . ' '  While  Jake  was  load- 
ing his  gun  as  fast  as  he  could,  we  put  spurs  to  our 
horses  and  rode  to  James  Sanford  Allred  and  told 
him  what  Jake  Arrapeen  had  done.  Brother  Allred 
told  us  Jake  was  mad  and  would  kill  some  one.  The 
Indians  went  up  the  canyon,  we  could  see  their  dust, 
and  that  was  the  last  time  that  I  ever  saw  Jake 
Arrapeen. 

My  object  in  writing  a  sketch  of  this  kind  is  to 
show  that  while  there  was  not  really  a  war  on,  at 
that  time,  it  was  plain  that  the  Indians  could  not  be 
depended  upon. 

HERDSMAN  C.  C.  ROWE  IN  THISTLE  VALLEY. 

By  Conderset  Rowe  and  Peter  Gottfredson. 

In  Thistle  Valley. 

From  the  close  of  the  Tintic  War  in  1856,  the 
Indians  were  comparatively  peaceable  till  1863.  Then 
they  became  dissatisfied,  thinking  that  the  Whites 
were  encroaching  upon  their  rights  by  crowding  them 
off  their  lands  and  hunting  grounds.  They  would 
often  say.  "White  man's  horses,  cows  and  sheep  eat 
Indian's  grass.  White  man  burn  Indian's  wood, 
shoot  Indian's  buckskins,  rabbits,  etc."  And  they 
frequently  wanted  horses,  cattle  or  sheep  in  payment 
for  it.  Often  they  would  bring  an  order  from  the 
Bishop,  or  some  one  for  a  beef  or  a  mutton,  and  in 
such  cases  they  always  wanted  the  best.  In  the 
summer  of  1863,  the  Mount  Pleasant  dry  stock  and 
sheep  were  taken  into  Thistle  Valley,  at  the  head 


122  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

of  the  South  Fork  of  Spanish  Fork  Canyon  to  be 
herded.  Caratat  Rowe,  his  son  (Conderset  J7owe) 
and  a  hired  boy  (Peter  Gottfredson)  were  caring 
for  horned  stock.  Nathan  Staker  and  his  sons,  Aaron 
and  Joseph  were  herding  the  sheep.  One  day.  about 
dusk,  in  the  fore  part  of  October,  1863,  an  Indian 
came  to  our  camp  while  we  were  out  milking.  He 
rode  a  fine  cream  colored  horse,  bare  backed,  having 
as  he  said,  left  his  saddle  and  gun  down  near  the 
wagon  road.  He  was  dressed  in  a  new  military 
officer's  uniform  with  gilt  epaulets  on  the  shoulders, 
and  said  his  name  was  Godfrey.  We  did  not  learn 
to  what  tribe  he  belonged.  He  asked  for  something 
to  eat  and  we  told  him  that  as  soon  as  we  were 
through  milking,  we  would  have  supper.  He  ate  sup- 
with  us.  After  eating,  he  asked  if  he  could  stay  all 
night,  saying  he  had  no  blankets.  We  told  him  he 
could.  As  Rowe  and  Staker  had  gone  to  Mount 
Pleasant  after  supplies,  we  four  boys  constituted  the 
whole  personel  of  the  camp.  The  Indian  told  us 
that  the  Snake  Indians  had  killed  eight  men  in  Provo 
Canyon,  and  said  that  may  be  at  daylight  they  would 
come  and  kill  us  and  steal  our  cattle.  He  seemed 
to  be  very  uneasy  and  would  listen  attentively  at 
every  little  noise  and  say, ' ' maybe  Snakes. ' '  He  ask- 
ed to  see  our  guns,  Aaron  Staker  got  the  guns,  a 
rifle  and  a  shotgun,  both  muzzle  loaders.  Then  he 
wanted  to  see  our  ammunition,  but  I  had  hidden  it 
under  the  bedding  where  Staker  could  not  find  it. 
The  Indian  next  wanted  to  know  how  much  powder 
we  had.  I  showed  on  my  hand  that  we  had  about 
five  inches  in  the  powder-horn.  We  had  only  four 
or  five  charges  for  our  guns.  Every  little  while 
the  Indian  would  listen  and  say  Snakes,  as  I  thought 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  123 

Mill Illllllllllll minium mil  ill mi  MI  I  in  11 1 mill I iiiiilillliliillini  I I 

to  try  to  scare  us  Howe  had  a  wagon  which  he 
had  made  himself,  the  wheels  being  cut  off  the  big 
end  of  a  large  red  pine  log.  he  worked  oxen  on  this 
primitive  wagon  and  we  could  hear  the  wagon  squeak 
miles  away.  As  Brother  Rowe  was  coming  with  sup- 
plies late  in  the  night,  the  Indian  heard  the  wagon 
squeek  again  said  Snakes.  Conderset  replied  "na 
nini-montz-pege "  my  father  is  coming.  This  was 
about  ten  or  eleven  o'clock  in  the  night.  As  Rowe 
drove  up,  the  Indian  took  Condersets  hat  and  put  on 
his  own  head  and  stood  astradle  of  the  fire.  We  did 
not  understand  why.  Rowe  looked  at  the  Indian  and 
said.  ''boys,  he  is  here  for  no  good."  Conderset 
told  his  father  what  the  Indian  said  about  the  In- 
dians killing  eight  men  in  Provo  Canyon.  Rowe 
began  asking  the  Indian  questions  about  it.  The 
Indian  said  that  it  was  eight  sleep  ya-tes,  eight 
days  since,  holding  up  eight  fingers.  Rowe  said, 
"You  are  mistaken,  for  if  it  was  so,  the  papers  would 
talk  about  it. ' '  The  Indian  became  uneasy  and  want- 
ed to  go  to  his  saddle.  Rowe  said,  "I  will  go  with 
you."  The  Indian  seemed  willing  that  he  should 
do  so  till  he  got  his  horse,  when  he  said  his  horse's 
back  was  sore,  which  was  very  common  with  Indian 
horses.  Rowe  told  the  Indian  that  he  would  walk 
for  he  was  anxious  to  keep  the  Indian  with  us  all 
night.  He  also  told  the  Indian  that  there  would  be 
ten  men  there  by  morning,  and  ten  more  later,  word 
having  reached  Mount  Pleasant,  that  the  Indians 
intended  making  a  raid  on  Thistle  Valley.  Upon  hear- 
ing this  the  Indian  became  more  eager  to  go  than 
ever,  he  jumped  on  his  horse  and  was  gone,  and  we 
saw  no  more  of  him.  Mr.  Rowe  remarked  that  trou- 
ble was  brewing,  and  that  we  would  have  to  shift 


124  IXDIAX  DEPREDATIONS 

for  ourselves  as  best  we  could.  About  midnight, 
after  we  had  conversed  about  what  we  would  do  in 
case  we  were  attacked,  we  heard  a  yell  down  in  the 
valley  in  the  direction  of  the  road.  Rowe  said: 
"there  comes  the  boys."  We  boys  fearing  that  it 
it  might  be  Indians,  planned  what  to  do  if  such 
should  be  the  case.  It  proved  to  be  four  boys  from 
Mt.  Pleasant,  namely  B.  N.  Bennet,  Don  C.  Seely, 
Peter  Miller  and  James  Hansen.  They  told  us  that 
as  they  were  coming  up  from  the  road,  they  saw  a 
small  fire  up  Indian  Hollow,  and  started  towards  it, 
when  they  got  onto  a  ridge  and  saw  our  fire,  and 
came  to  it.  We  got  supper  for  them.  We  looked 
for  more  men  in  the  morning,  but  they  did  not  come. 
We  gathered  the  stock  and  sheep  and  drove  to  Mt. 
Pleasant.  At  Fairview  we  got  supper  at  Gammet's. 
There  was  no  further  trouble  with  Indians  that  fall, 
but  we  always  believed  that  if  we  had  not  received 
timely  help  we  might  have  been  murdered. 

HERDSMEN  JENS  GOTTFREDSON  AND  OLE 
JENSEN  IN  THISTLE  VALLEY. 

P.  Gottfredson. 

My  father,  Jens  Gottfredson,  had  taken  the 
Mount  Pleasant  dry  stock  to  herd  in  Thistle  Valley, 
and  also  stock  from  Moroni  and  Fairview,  as  well 
as  a  part  of  the  Mt.  Pleasant  sheep.  An  old  gentle- 
man named  Ole  Jensen  had  charere  of  the  remainder 
of  the  sheep.  Six  or  seven  families  from  Fairview 
had  settled  in  the  Valley,  about  six  miles  from  the 
herd  house  that  we  occupied.  All  wont  well  till  along 
in  August,  1864,  when  the  Indians  became  hateful  to 
the  families  down  the  valley  and  demanded  a  lot  of 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  125 

fliiitiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiii 

horses  and  cattle  for  the  land,  or  they  wanted  them 
to  move  off,  and  they  made  some  threats.  The  peo- 
ple consequently  moved  back  to  Fairview.  A  few 
days  later  fifty  or  more  Indians  came  up  to  where 
we  were,  about  a  half  mile  south  west  of  the  pres- 
en  site  of  Indianola.  The  old  gentleman  Jensen  was 
northeast  of  the  herd  house,  about  one  quarter  of  a 
mile,  taking  out  his  sheep.  An  Indian  rode  up  to 
him  and  asked  for  his  dinner,  which  he  had  wrapped 
up  in  his  coat.  Brother  Jensen  refused,  whereupon 
the  Indian  grabbed  his  coat  and  dinner  and  jerked  it 
away  from  him,  laying  it  across  his  saddle  in  front 
of  him.  The  old  man  caught  the  horse  by  the  bridle 
with  one  hand  and  his  coat  with  the  other,  and  with  a 
quick  pull  got  the  coat  away  from  the  Indian,  nearly 
pulling  him  off  his  horse.  Jensen  followed  his  sheep, 
and  after  getting  away  about  75  yards,  the  Indian 
fired  at  him;  the  bullet  grazed  his  face  and  killed 
two  sheep  in  the  herd. 

My  brother  and  I  were  a  short  distance  west  of 
the  herdhouse  when  another  Indian  who  had  seven 
or  eight  dogs  with  him,  came  after  us  and  made  for 
our  sheep.  We  had  a  large  brindle  dog  which  had 
been  brought  in  with  Gen'l  Johnston's  Army.  We 
sicked  him  after  the  Indian  dogs  and  he  threw  them 
right  and  left ;  this  stopped  their  rush  for  the  sheep. 
The  Indian  then  came  towards  me.  He  had,  besides 
a  gun  and  bow  and  arrows,  a  large  painted  wagon 
spoke,  with  a  string  through  the  small  end,  hung  on 
his  wrist.  I  suppose  he  used  to  whip  his  horse  with. 
As  he  rode  up  to  me,  acting  as  if  he  wanted  to  hit 
me  with  it,  I  kept  backing  away  from  him,  but  could 
not  move  fast  enough  to  keep  out  of  his  reach.  I 
asked  him  what  he  wanted,  and  what  was  the  matter 


126  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


with  him,  but  he  would  not  talk.  When  I  saw  I  could 
not  back  fast  enough  to  keep  out  of  his  way  I 
squatted  down,  cocked  my  gun  and  with  my  finger  on 
the  trigger  pointed  it  at  his  face.  He  jerked  his 
horse  back  so  quick  having  what  we  called  a  jaw- 
breaker bit,  that  the  horse  fell  back  on  his  haunches 
but  the  Indian  stayed  with  the  horse.  He  then  be- 
gan to  talk.  He  asked  what  the  people  said  who 
moved  up  from  below.  I  said  '  *  nothing. ' '  He  said, 
"you  lie."  I  told  him  that  they  said  the  Indians 
wanted  more  horses  and  cattle  for  the  land  than  it 
was  worth.  He  said,  "all  right"  and  rode  to  the 
herdhouse  where  all  the  Indians  had  gathered  by 
this  time.  They  broke  open  the  door  and  went  in 
and  took  and  carried  away  all  our  bedding,  provis- 
ions and  cooking  utensils,  and  other  things,  and 
started  towards  Fairview.  When  near  the  divide, 
they  met  Lyman  Peters,  coming  to  Thistle  Valley, 
and  when  they  saw  his  head  over  the  ridge,  they 
pulled  their  guns  out  of  their  cases.  Peters  saw  it, 
got  off  his  horse,  turned  it  between  him  and  the  In- 
dians, laid  his  gun  across  the  saddle,  pointing  it 
towards  them,  and  asked  what  they  wanted.  They 
answered  "navish"  nothing,  placed  their  guns  back 
in  the  cases  and  came  on.  As  they  passed  Peters, 
one  of  them  made  a  grab  for  Peters'  gun,  but  as 
Peters  struck  at  the  Indian  with  his  gun,  the  Indian 
dodged  and  hit  his  own  horse  on  the  shoulder,  lam- 
ing him. 

Peters  then  came  down  to  where  we  were  and  we 
told  him  what  the  Indians  had  done.  Just  then  one 
lone  Indian,  who  had  been  hunting,  came  down 
through  the  brush  on  foot.  When  he  was  off  about 
three  hundred  yards,  Peters  rested  his  gun  on  a 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  127 


knob  on  the  corner  of  the  house,  cocking  it  and  said, 
"Now  see  me  make  that  Indian  jump  ten  feet  in  the 
air."  I  told  him  not  to  shoot  as  that  would  cause 
trouble.  He  answered,  * '  No  one  will  ever  know  it. '  ' 
Believing  that  he  intended  to  shoot  I  pushed  the  gun 
off  the  knob. 

Before  the  Indian  came  up,  Peters  had  set  his 
gun  against  the  house ;  it  was  a  large  new  rifle.  The 
Indian  took  hold  of  the  gun  to  look  at  it,  but  Peters 
took  the  gun  from  the  Indian  saying,  "You  let  that 
be. ' '  The  Indian  answered  ' '  You  mad. ' '  Peters  said, 
"Yes,  I  am  mad."  The  Indian  said:  "Hombo  (what) 
make  you  mad."  and  shoved  his  finger  around  on 
his  body,  saying  "You  bullets  no  pass."  Lyman 
Peters  took  a  handful  of  large  bullets  from  his  pock- 
et and,  showing  them  to  the  Indian,  said,  "Don't  you 
think  they  will  pass."  The  Indian  started  off,  look- 
ing back  over  his  shoulder  till  he  got  a  long  way  off. 

A  week  or  two  before  this  happened,  a  small 
band  of  Indians  came  to  my  brother  and  I,  and  said 
they  wanted  a  beef.  We  told  them  the  animals  were 
not  ours,  and  they  would  have  to  get  an  order  from 
Bishop  Seely.  A  large  five  year  old  steer  belonging 
to  Chris  Wintergreen  was  near,  and  an  Indian  raised 
his  gun  to  shoot  it.  My  brother  pulled  the  gun  down. 
Another  Indian  struck  him  in  the  face  with  a  lariat, 
making  it  bleed,  and  said  "Can't  you  cry?"  Then  the 
Indian  with  the  gun  shot  the  steer ;  they  skinned  the 
hind  parts  and  cut  out  what  meat  they  wanted, 
leaving  the  hide  and  balance  of  meat.  The  Indian 
who  struck  my  brother  seemed  to  be  making  love  to 
a  young  squaw  who  was  riding  another  horse.  The 
same  Indians  killed  some  cattle  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  Fairview.  In  order  to  avoid  further 


128  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiifiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiirii 

trouble  we  had  to  move  the  stock  and  sheep  out  of 
Thistle  Valley.  They  also  took  a  herd  of  sheep  from 
some  herd  boys,  drove  them  off  quite  a  distance, 
killed  one  sheep  and  turned  the  balance  loose.  James 
M.  Allred  happened  on  them  just  as  they  were  roast- 
ing the  mutton  on  the  fire.  He  said  that  they  drew 
their  guns  on  him.  Just  at  that  time  Jehu  and  Elias 
Cox,  fathers  of  the  boys  from  whom  the  Indians  had 
taken  the  sheep,  rode  up;  they  shot  at  the  Indians 
who  went  off  in  a  hurry. 


^  •: 


z  - 

S 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  BLACK  HAWK  WAR. 

TREATY  AT  MANTI. 
THE  JOHN  LOWRY  AFFAIR. 

Several  stories  are  told  as  to  how  the  Black 
Hawk  war  started,  and  these  stories  conflict  in  sev- 
eral essentials.  It  is  well  known  that  many  of  the 
Indians,  were  dissatisfied  and  unfriendly,  and  that 
during  the  years  1863  and  1864  they  had  committed 
several  acts  unfriendly  towards  the  white  people; 
thus  they  had  stolen  some  horses  and  killed  a  num- 
ber of  cattle,  at  different  places,  and  it  needed  but  a 
pretext  to  open  hostilities. 

During  the  winter  of  1864-65,  a  small  band  of 
Indians  were  camped  near  Gunnison,  Sanpete  Co. 
It  is  said  that  they  had  contracted  small-pox,  and 
that  many  of  them  died. 

The  Indians  seemed  to  think  that  the  white 
people  were  to  blame  in  some  way  for  this  and  were 
threatening  to  kill  the  whites  and  steal  their  horses 
and  cattle.  Arrangements  were  consequently  made 
for  a  meeting  between  the  Indians  and  the  whites 
at  Manti  on  the  9th  of  April,  1865,  to  talk  over  mat- 
ters. 

On  that  date  a  number  of  prominent  Utes  came 
to  Manti.  They  met  at  Jerome  Kemp  ton's  place,  and 
it  appeared  that  an  understanding  would  be  arrived 
at,  but  a  young  chief  (Yene-wood)  also  known  as 
Jake  Arropeen  could  not  be  pacified ;  he  kept  talking 


130  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


and  making  demonstrations,  trying  to  persuade 
the  other  Indians  against  making  peace.  John  Lowry 
and  Archibald  W.  Buchanan  were  interpreters  and 
leading  spokesmen  on  the  peoples '  side. 

John  Lowry,  who  was  said  to  be  under  the  influ- 
ence of  liquor,  demanded  of  Chief  Yene-woods  (Jake 
Arropeen)  that  he  should  keep  quit  and  let  him 
(Lowry)  finish  talking,  when  some  one  spoke,  saying, 
"Look  out,  he  is  getting  his  arrows."  Whereupon 
Lowry  stepped  up,  caught  hold  of  the  Indian  and 
pulled  him  off  his  horse,  and  he  was  about  to  abuse 
him  in  some  way,  when  some  of  the  by-standers  in- 
terferred.  Indian  Joe  mounted  his  horse  and  rode 
out  to  an  Indian  camp  at  Shumway  Springs,  where 
he  reported  what  had  happened.  This  caused  a  big 
excitement  among  the  Indians  who  sent  out  their 
runners  to  distant  Indian  camps  with  the  informa- 
tion. In  consequence  the  Indians  generally  broke 
camp  and  moved  into  the  mountains.  Those  at  Rich- 
field went  to  Salina  to  join  those  from  Sanpete. 

P.   LUDVIGSON,   BARNEY   WARD   AND 
J.  P.  ANDERSON  KILLED. 

It  was  reported  that  the  Indians  were  going  to 
steal  stock.  Consequently,  early  in  the  morning  of 
the  10th,  a  small  party  of  men  from  Manti  went  out 
to  the  Indian  Farm  at  Twelve  Mile  Creek  to  gather 
the  stock,  which  was  turned  out  there,  to  bring  them 
home.  On  the  way  they  were  attacked  by  a  number 
of  Indians,  who  killed  Peter  Ludvigsen  and  put  the 
others  to  flight.  A.  W.  Buchanan  says  that  he 
and  Fred  Cox  went  out  to  the  Indian  camp  at 
Shumway  Springs  to  have  a  talk  with  Chief  "White 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  131 

niiiiiiiilMMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiii 1 111 1 111  niiii  ii  1 1  mini 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  n  1 1  n  II I  Ml  1 1 1 1 1 1 1  Illlllll  I II 1 1 II I II  Illlllili 

Eye."  On  their  arrival  there  they  handed  their 
bridle  reins  to  a  young  Indian  to  hold,  while  they 
went  into  the  chief's  tent.  The  chief  at  first  seem- 
ed sullen  and  would  not  talk.  Buchanan  told  him 
what  they  had  come  for,  and  finally  the  chief  called 
for  his  pipe.  Buchanan  now  knew  that  he  would  get 
a  hearing,  and  finally  the  chief  said  that  only  one 
Indian  and  one  white  man  were  mad,  and  that  if  he 
and  Cox  would  go  with  him  he  would  get  back  the 
stock  which  the  Indians  had  taken. 

The  brethern  named  reported  at  Manti,  but 
the  people  were  not  willing  that  they  should  go,  be- 
lieving that  the  Indians  were  treacherous  and  were 
likely  to  kill  them ;  hence  the  venture  was  not  made. 

After  the  Indians  had  taken  the  stock  and  killed 
Ludvigsen,  they  went  to  Salina  canyon  where  they 
were  joined  by  Indians  from  Richfield,  and  they 
quickly  gathered  up  most  of  the  Salina  cattle  and 
drove  them  up  Salina  canyon  to  Soldier  Fork,  where 
they  came  onto  Barney  Ward  and  James  P.  Ander- 
sen who,  not  knowing  that  the  Indians  were  mad, 
fell  an  easy  prey  to  them. 

It  appeared  that  the  Indians  had  held  these  two 
men  prisoners  for  a  time  before  killing  them;  they 
were  both  shot  with  many  bullets  and  arrows  and  the 
condition  in  which  their  bodies  were  found  suggested 
that  they  had  been  tortured.  They  were  scalped 
and  most  of  their  clothing  taken.  Their  bodies  were 
not  recovered  until  the  next  day.  During  the  follow- 
ing night  many  white  men  arrived  at  Salina,  from 
in  the  Sanpete  settlement. 

The  Indian  Agent  in  Sanpete  at  the  time  was 
Fred  J.  Keisel,  since  mayor  of  Ogden — whose  pru- 
dence in  withholding  the  supply  of  powder  and  lead 


132  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


IIMIIIIIIIIIIII 


from  the  savages  and  giving  it  to  the  settlers,  help- 
ed the  prospect  somewhat,  but  the  situation  was 
very  strained,  and  the  witness  to  the  indignity  of- 
fered the  Chief  at  Manti  as  already  noted  felt  the 
affront  had  furnished  the  spark  to  kindle  the  In- 
dians'  vengeance  into  full  fury.  Learning  later  in 
the  evening  that  a  raid  was  contemplated  upon  the 
cattle  of  the  settlement,  a  small  body  of  horsemen 
started  for  the  feeding  grounds. 

Early  next  day  they  encountered  the  Indians  who 
opened  fire,  killing  a  young  man  named  Peter  Lud- 
vigsen.  and  put  his  comrades  to  flight.,  mutilated 
his  body,  and  then  made  off  with  a  herd  of  b-tock. 

Hostilities  now  being  formally  opened,  the  vic- 
torious bands  broke  for  the  mountains  to  the  south- 
east. 

Near  Salina,  Sevier  County,  on  the  same  day 
they  killed  and  scalped  two  men,  one  being  the  vete- 
ran Barney  Ward,  and  the  other  a  Mr.  Lamson, 
(James  P.  Andersen)  and  drove  off  a  large  number 
of  stock  into  the  adjoining  canyon. 

COL.  ALLRED  WITH  84  MEN  DEFEATED 
IN  SALINA  CANYON. 

A  company  of  cavalry  was  quickly  mustered  into 
service  under  Colonel  Reddick  N.  Allred  and  started 
in  pursuit,  but  having  chased  the  savages  ten  miles 
into  the  mountains,  they  were  compelled  April  12th 
to  retire  before  the  deadly  fire  of  the  ambushed  foe, 
with  the  loss  of  two  men  killed,  Jens  Sorensen  and 
William  Kearns,  and  two  wounded. 

Reinforcements  having  been  received,  another 
advance  was  ordered  two  or  three  days  later,  when 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  133 

the  bodies  of  the  two  militia-men  were  recovered 
and  the  Indians  were  pursued  into  the  rugged  coun- 
try between  Fish  Lake  and  the  Grand  River.  A 
spirited  engagement  took  place  and  the  Indians 
repulsed  with  heavy  loss. 

From  a  write-up  by  Joshua  W.  Sylvester  (form- 
erly Bishop  of  Elsinore,  Sevier  County)  we  obtain 
the  following: 

"It  was  in  the  spring  of  1865,  when  we  were 
busy  plowing  and  planting,  that  the  news  came  to 
Gunnison,  where  we  lived,  that  the  Indians  had 
killed  a  man  at  Twelve  Mile  Creek,  that  they  had 
gone  up  Salina  Canyon  and  killed  Barney  Ward  and 
another  man,  and  driven  off  all  the  Salina  stock. 

The  next  morning  a  company  of  us  started  with 
Bishop  Kearns  to  look  for  a  band  of  horses.  While 
we  were  out  of  town  word  came  from  Manti  to  raise 
men  and  ammunition,  and  to  proceed  to  Salina  as 
soon  as  possible.  Not  finding  the  horses,  (as  the 
Indians  had  taken  them),  we  were  returning  home, 
when,  about  half  way  between  Gunnison  and  Salina, 
we  met  the  Gunnison  boys,  (the  sons  of  Bishop 
Kearns  with  them),  who  said  they  had  my  bedding 
with  them,  expecting  me  to  go  with  the  expedition. 
I  told  them  it  was  no  use  for  me  to  go,  as  I  had  only 
one  bullet  for  my  gun;  but  William  Kearns  said, 
"Come  on,  you'll  get  some  bullets."  Consequently 
Andrew  Anderson  and  I  went  on  while  the  Bishop 
and  others  returned  home.  We  found  men  gathered 
at  Salina  from  all  parts  of  Sanpete.  I  began  inquir- 
ing for  bullets,  when  I  was  informed  that  Barney 
Ward  had  been  seen  moulding  some  for  his  pistol 
which  were  the  size  I  wanted,  and  as  he  did  not 
have  his  pistol  with  him  when  he  was  killed,  it  was 


134  INDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS 

thought  the  bullets  were  in  his  trunk.  Some  one 
went  with  me  to  get  them ;  it  was  dark  and  we  had 
no  light.  And  as  Ward's  corpse  was  laid  out  on  the 
trunk,  or  chest,  we  had  to  raise  him  up,  while  I 
searched  for  the  bullets,  until  I  found  them. 

Firing  off  the  bullet  I  had  in  my  gun  the  next 
morning,  and  reloading  with  a  good  charge  of  pow- 
der, I  started  with  the  posse  up  the  canyon,  in  order 
to  overtake  the  Indians  and  recover  the  stock,  as 
they  had  driven  off  all  the  stock  at  Salina.  We  follow- 
ed the  trail  through  narrow  places,  above  precipices 
and  under  cliffs,  till  we  came  to  a  place  where  they 
had  killed  a  beef.  There  we  put  on  an  advance 
guard  and  proceeded  till  we  passed  a  very  narrow 
place  on  the  trail,  when  an  Indian  fired  a  signal  gun, 
and  immediately  they  all  fired  on  us  from  the  rocks 
above  on  the  steep  mountain  side.  We  found  that 
we  were  trapped.  Colonel  Allred  then  gave  orders 
for  a  retreat  to  a  ridge,  in  order  to  flank  the  Indians, 
and  where  we  made  a  stand.  Bullets  were  passing 
over  our  heads  like  hail,  and  had  the  Indians  known 
how  their  guns  were  carrying  they  could  have  shot 
us  down  fast.  In  being  shot  down  hill  a  bullet  will 
raise,  so  they  over-shot.  However,  their  trap  was 
well  laid,  for  they  had  arranged  to  close  in  on  the 
trail  behind  us;  but  an  unexpected  move  on  our 
part  frustrated  their  plan.  The  officers  found 
that  they  were  getting  a  cross  fire,  and  as  they  had 
worked  down  on  the  mountain,  called  for  another 
retreat  to  the  next  ridge,  in  order  to  flank. 

Some  of  our  men,  not  understanding  the  order 
from  the  commanding  officer,  went  too  far,  which 
hindered  the  Indians  from  closing  the  trail,  but 
they  had  got  so  far  down  the  mountain  that  they 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  135 

could  get  good  shots  at  us  while  we  could  not  see  one 
of  them.  William  Kearns  was  shot  from  his  horse 
and  killed  while  riding  beside  his  brother  Austin, 
who  had  to  leave  him  where  he  fell,  in  order  to  save 
his  own  life. 

The  following  statement  is  from  Austin  Kearns 
himself : 

"When  we  made  our  second  stand,  after  we 
had  been  fired  upon  by  the  Indians,  I  noticed  one  par- 
ticular Indian  behind  a  big  rock.  He  had  loaded  and 
fired  his  gun  three  or  four  times,  and  I  asked  com- 
rade Anderson,  my  companion,  who  stood  near  me  to 
hold  my  horse  while  I  went  up  the  hill-side  to  take  a 
shot  at  the  Indians.  I  laid  down,  resting  my  gun  on  a 
root.  While  I  lay  there  a  ball  struck  near  me,  causing 
the  dirt  to  fly  in  my  face.  When  I  looked  up  I  saw 
my  comrades  were  making  a  quick  retreat  down  the 
canyon.  I  then  returned  to  Anderson  who  handed 
me  my  reins  and  I  mounted  and  followed  the  com- 
pany. But  instead  of  my  horse  following  the  trail, 
he  turned  in  the  opposite  direction,  jumped  into  a 
patch  of  oak  brush,  and  tried  to  force  his  way 
through.  By  doing  so  he  got  fast  and  was  unable 
to  get  out.  I  had  matcher es  (heavy  leather  covers) 
on  my  saddle;  they  spread  out,  holding  me  fast. 
While  trying  to  get  out  the  Indians  were  coming 
closer;  they  cross-fired  in  quick  succession  on  me 
from  three  directions,  and  perhaps  fifty  or  more 
shots  were  aimed  at  me  while  in  that  condition. 
At  last  the  string  in  front  of  the  horn  of  the  saddle 
broke  and  I  raised  up  letting  the  matcheres  with 
my  wool  blankets  slide  off,  freeing  the  horse. 
All  my  companions  had  gone,  leaving  me  alone  with 
the  howling  Indians  who  thought  sure  they  would 


136  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

have  my  scalp.  I  escaped  without  a  scratch,  al- 
though bullets  had  been  flying  around  me  like  hail, 
cutting  the  oaks  all  around  me.  It  surely  was  an 
exciting  time." 

Mr.  Sylvester  continues  his  narrative  as  follows : 

"William  Kearn's  horse  worked  along  the  trail 
with  the  crowd.  Therefore,  when  the  second  retreat 
was  ordered  there  was  no  chance  to  flank;  we  were 
not  acquainted  with  Indian  warfare  then,  but  this 
experience  made  us  look  out  ever  after.  Had  there 
not  been  a  providential  move  at  this  point,  there 
could  have  been  a  massacre  equal  to  that  of  General 
Ouster's  of  a  later  date  for  bullets  flew  everywhere 
and  we  could  not  see  where  they  came  from. 

We  saw  four  Indians  run  across  the  canyon  to 
get  a  cross-fire  on  us.  One  of  them,  quite  a  distance 
up  the  canyon,  was  swinging  his  hands  to  the  others 
on  the  mountain,  motioning  to  them  to  work  down. 
Some  of  us  fired  at  him  and  he  fell  from  his  horse. 
This  incident  was  followed  by  a  lull  in  the  firing 
for  a  few  moments  of  which  we  made  good  use. 
The  Indians  afterwards  reported  that  the  Indian  we 
had  shot  soon  got  well,  but  was  afterwards  killed  by 
another  Indian. 

I  will  here  relate  an  incident  that  occurred  dur- 
ing the  second  retreat  which  was  called,  when  we 
reached  the  top  of  the  ridge.  I  was  cinching  my  sad- 
dle when  a  man  came  up  the  trail,  holding  to  the  tail 
of  another  man's  horse ;  he  was  nearly  exhausted.  A 
mule  was  seen  near  by  that  had  thrown  a  man  who 
was  afterwards  killed  by  the  Indians.  This  man  was 
Jens  Sorenson  of  Ephraim.  The  animal  worked  its 
way  down  the  trail,  but  stood  entangled  in  the  reins. 
The  man  on  the  horse  called  out  "Get  that  mule." 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  137 

The  exhausted  fellow  reached  the  animal,  but  had 
no  knife.  I  took  my  knife  from  my  belt  and  ran  to 
him,  leaving  it  with  him.  I  returned  to  my  horse. 
The  cinch  of  my  saddle  was  so  long  that  the  rings  met 
and  I  had  a  heavy  pack  on  behind,  so,  when  I  endea- 
vored to  mount,  the  saddle  turned  with  me.  I  wanted 
my  knife  then,  but  the  man  had  gone  and  so  had  every 
body  else.  I  then  had  to  undo  a  long  strap,  but  about 
that  time  the  bullets  were  coming  toward  me  thick 
and  fast.  I  threw  the  whole  business  down,  jumped 
on  my  horse  bareback  and  soon  overtook  the  others. 
I  saw  the  man  to  whom  I  had  loaned  my  knife,  and 
asked  him  what  he  had  done  with  it.  Taking  it  from 
his  pocket  he  said,  "Are  you  the  man  who  let  me  take 
this  knife?  It  saved  my  life. ' '  That  man  was  Frank 
H.  Hyde. 

We  marched  on  feeling  pretty  blue,  and  at  the 
mouth  of  the  canyon  we  met  Bishop  Kearns.  The 
reader  may  imagine  the  feelings  of  the  father  and 
son  thinking  of  the  other  son  and  brother  who  was 
left  a  corpse  on  the  trail ;  it  was  indeed  a  sad  scene 
to  those  who  witnessed  the  same. 

The  bodies  of  Kearns  and  Sorensen  laid  in  the 
canyon  two  days  before  they  were  rescued,  then  a 
friendly  Indian  (Sanpitch)  went  up  and  got  them. 

When  the  Indians  found  that  Kearns  was  an  old 
friend  with  whom  they  had  frequently  played  and 
hunted,  they  placed  the  body  against  a  rock  and 
wove  willows  around  it  to  keep  off  the  wolves ;  while 
the  man  who  fell  near  him  was  horribly  mutilated. 
An  Indian  (the  chief  Sanpitch)  came  in  the  night 
to  Bishop  Kearns  and  reported  that  it  was  safe  for 
the  men  to  go  after  the  body  of  his  son  as  the  Indians 
had  gone. 


138  INDIAN  DEPKEDATIONS 

STATEMENT   OF   GOTLIEB   ENZ. 

Gotlieb  Enz  of  Richfield  makes  the  following 
statement : 

''I  came  to  Richfield  in  November,  1864,  with  a 
few  head  of  cattle,  having  lost  a  yoke  of  oxen  be- 
tween Gunnison  and  Salina.  Early  in  April,  1865,  a 
band  of  Indians  were  camped  at  Richfield  by  the 
big  spring,  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Sutton  came 
from  Provo  to  trade  with  them.  He  exchanged  a 
quantity  of  ammunition  for  buckskins.  About  the 
8th  of  April,  1865,  I  went  out  to  hunt  for  my  oxen, 
expecting  to  find  them  in  the  Gunnison  field.  Being 
on  foot,  and  failing  to  find  them  there,  I,  surmising 
that  they  might  have  strayed  up  Salina  Canyon, 
left  Gunnison  and  came  to  Salina.  I  called  on  Ellas 
Crane,  who  was  living  in  a  dugout.  The  Indians 
had  left  Richfield  and  were  camped  near  the  mouth 
of  Salina  Canyon,  southeast  of  town,  on  the  bench. 
I  told  the  Crane  family  that  I  was  going  up  the  can- 
yon to  look  for  the  oxen.  Mrs.  Crane  asked  me  if 
I  was  not  afraid  of  the  Indians,  to  which  I  replied 
that  I  was  not,  as  I  was  acquainted  with  them. 
I  left  my  blankets  there  and  went  up  the  canyon  about 
three  miles  into  Soldier  Fork.  There  I  found  one  of 
the  oxen.  Having  walked  all  day,  I  sat  down  on  a 
rock  to  rest.  An  impression  came  to  me  that  I 
should  not  stop  there;  the  same  impression  came  to 
me  three  different  times.  Consequently  I  got  up 
and  looked  around,  but  saw  nothing  unusual.  I  then 
started  down  the  canyon,  leaving  my  ox  there  feed- 
ing on  good  grass ;  I  intended  to  go  after  him  the  next 
day  and  drive  him  home.  As  I  went  down  the  can- 
yon, I  met  two  men  going  up  to  look  for  stock;  I 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  139 

passed  the  time  of  day  with  them,  and  went  on.    Soon 
afterwards  I  met  the  Indians  going  up  the  canyon, 
most  of  them  on  the  main  road.    I  saw  six  or  eight 
up  on  the  south  side  of  the  canyon,  driving  up  some 
stock.    I  passed  the  Indians  unmolested  and  had  no 
idea  that  they  were  angry.     I  stayed  that  night  at 
Elias  Cranes '.    After  singing  and  prayers  we  retired. 
About  midnight  a  man  carrying  an  express  came 
from  Gunnison  with  the  information,  that  the  Indians 
were  on  the  war-path,  and  that  the  people  must  pre- 
pare to  defend  themselves.    He  further  reported  that 
the  Indians  had  killed  a  man  near  Manti.    All  the 
people  gathered  at  the  little  rock  meeting  house. 
While  there  a  lady  said,  "My  husband  went  up  the 
canyon  last  evening  to  look  for  some  stock,  and  has 
not  returned.  I  wonder  what  can  have  become  of 
him."     This  was  Mrs.  Ward.     Then  a  young  lady 
also  said,  "My  brother  went  up  also  and  has  not 
come  home. ' '    Towards  morning  we  heard  the  report 
of  some  guns,  seemingly  a  long  ways  off.    Thinking 
something  might  be  wrong.    I,  together  with  six  or 
eight  other  men,  went  up  the  canyon.    When  we  ar- 
rived at  the  place  where  I  left  my  ox  the  previous 
day,  we  found  the  two  men  killed  and  scalped,  and 
most  of  their  clothing  removed  from  their  bodies. 
There  were  a  lot  of  arrows  sticking  in  them,  and  it 
appeared  that  the  Indians  had  taken  them  captive, 
and  tortured  them  for  some  time  before  killing  them. 
We  left  the  bodies  and  went  down  to  the  settlement 
and  reported.   A  number  of  men  went  up  with  a  team 
and  brought  the  bodies  down.    When  preparing  the 
remains  for  burial,  we  examined  them  closely.    The 
two  men  had  been  shot  with  a  number  of  bullets,  and 
many  arrows.     Some  of  the  latter  we  were  unable 


140  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

imiiiiiimmiiimiimiiii IIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIM niiiiniiiiiiii riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiit 

to  get  out,  owing  to  the  beards  on  the  spikes.  During 
the  day  a  lot  of  men  arrived  at  Salina  from  the  set- 
tlements in  Sanpete  and  elsewhere." 

WALTER  JONES  OF  MONROE  SERIOUSLY 
WOUNDED. 

On  April  15th,  1865,  Walter  Jones  with  some 
others  were  on  their  way  to  Marysvale  with  teams  to 
bring  out  a  few  families  who  had  located  there. 
When  on  the  ridge  (before  getting  into  the  valley), 
Jones  reached  down  into  the  wagon  to  get  his  din- 
ner. He  accidentally  pulled  the  gun,  when  something 
caught  the  hammer  and  discharged  it,  the  load  pass- 
ing through  Brother  Jones'  feet.  The  accident  com- 
pelled him  to  use  cratches  for  four  years. 

JENS  LARSEN  A  SHEEP  HERDER  KILLED 
NEAR  FAIRVIEW. 

In  the  evening  of  May  25,  1865,  while  gathering 
his  sheep,  Jens  Larsen  was  shot  and  killed  about 
four  miles  north  of  Fairview,  Sanpete  County.  His 
daughter  Pauline  subsequently  became  the  wife  of 
Jacob  Dastrup  of  Sigurd,  Sevier  County. 

JOHN  GIVEN,  WIFE  AND  FOUR  CHILDREN 
MURDERED  IN  THISTLE  VALLEY. 

Between  daylight  and  sunrise  on  the  morning 
of  May  26,  1865,  the  same  murderous  band  attacked 
John  Given  and  family  Avho  had  moved  up  Spanish 
Fork  Canyon  into  Thistle  Valley  and  intended  locat- 
ing there  for  the  summer.  Besides  Given  and  his 
wife,  the  party  consisted  of  his  son  John,  aged  nine- 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  141 

teen,  his  daughters  Mary,  Annie  and  Martha,  aged 
respectively  nine,  five  and  three  years,  and  two  men 
named  Leah  and  Brown.  All  were  sleeping  in  a  hut 
constructed  of  willows,  Leah  and  Brown  being  in  a 
wagon  box  at  one  end.  The  former  was  awakened  by 
hearing  the  cattle  running  wildly  down  the  canyon, 
and  shortly  afterwards  the  firing  of  the  Indians 
through  the  brush  of  the  hut,  apprised  him  of  the 
cause  of  the  alarm.  To  their  concealed  position  in 
the  wagon  box  the  two  men  owe  their  escape.  The 
other  occupants  of  the  hut  were  speedily  killed,  the 
blood  thirsty  Indians  completing  with  arrows  and 
tomahawks  the  work  which  their  first  volley  had 
begun.  Quickly  gathering  up  the  flour,  axes  and 
guns  of  their  victims,  they  surrounded  a  herd  of 
stock,  and  after  killing  the  calves,  drove  off  between 
one  and  two  hundred  head  of  horses  and  cattle  into 
the  mountains. 

The  following  details  were  given  by  Charles 
Brown,  survivor  of  those  who  were  attacked  in 
Thistle  Valley  when  John  Given  and  family  were 
massacred : 

Charles  Brown  and  Charles  Wager  Leah  had 
gone  into  Thistle  Valley  from  their  former  home, 
together  with  John  Given  and  family  and  located  in 
the  meadow  land  north  of  Thistle  Creek  bridge,  in- 
tending to  make  it  their  home.  They  were  engaged 
in  plowing  and  planting  crops,  and  had  several  head 
of  cattle  and  milk  cows  with  calves. 

At  daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  26th  of  May, 
1865,  Leah  awoke  on  hearing  stock  moving  past  the 
willow  shanty  in  which  the  people  were  all  sleeping, 
the  two  young  men,  Leah  and  Browne  being  in  a 


142  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

IIIMIIMIIMIIIIIIIMIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIMIIMMIIIIMMIIIIM 

wagon  box  at  one  end  of  the  shanty.  When  the  In- 
dians came  to  the  shanty  they  poked  their  guns 
through  the  willow  wall  and  fired,  shooting  Mr. 
Given  in  the  region  of  the  heart  and  Mrs.  Given  in 
the  right  cheek.  Their  son,  John,  aged  nineteen, 
jumped  up,  saying,  "Yon  d— d  sons  of  B — s."  when 
an  Indian  shot  him  down  before  he  could  reach 
the  door.  These  three  were  shot  before  the  two 
young  men  left  the  cabin.  Leah,  without  dressing, 
grabbed  his  gun  and  ran  out,  hiding  in  the  willows, 
and  Brown,  who  slipped  on  his  clothing,  ran 
out  at  the  same  time.  An  Indian  fired  at  them,  the 
ball  passing  between  them,  striking  the  ground  about 
two  rods  ahead  of  them.  Browne  ran  to  the  creek 
and  waded  down  it,  the  water  being  up  to  his  arm- 
pits and  very  cold.  When  down  the  creek  some  dis- 
tance he  got  out  and  went  down  the  side  hill  about 
six  miles  to  where  Dr.  Joseph  S.  Wing  and  five  other 
families  from  Fairview  had  located  and  reported 
what  had  happened.  They  all  left  and  went  to  Fair- 
view.  When  they  came  to  the  Given  cabin  they 
found  :,he  three  grown  persons  lying  dead  on  the 
floor  of  the  hut  with  the  feathers  of  the  feather  bed 
scattered  over  them,  and  also  the  three  young  girls, 
Mary,  aged  nine,  Annie,  five,  and  Martha,  three 
years  old,  in  the  wagon  box  killed.  Oscar  Barton, 
one  of  the  rescuers  from  Mount  Pleasant,  says :  ' '  On 
the  morning  of  the  killing,  between  daylight  and 
sunrise,  Andrew  Larson  of  Mount  Pleasant  who  had 
camped  during  the  night  with  the  Wing  family 
passed  the  Given  place  on  the  road,  and  as  he  passed 
he  heard  calves  bawling  in  the  corral.  Thinking 
that  the  people  had  not  yet  arisen,  he  passed  on, 
but  when  he  reached  the  herd  house,  about  where  In- 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  143 

dianola  railroad  station  is  now  located,  he  saw  horse- 
men about  half  way  up  the  valley,  driving  stock  east- 
ward toward  the  mountains.  His  first  impression 
was  to  unhitch  one  of  his  horses  and  ride  up  to  them, 
but  he  finally  concluded  to  travel  on  in  the  direction 
he  was  going. 

Brother  Barton  further  reports  that  one  of  the 
men  who  escaped  ran  to  North  Bend  (Fairview),  and 
reported  what  had  happened.  An  express  was  im- 
mediately sent  from  Fairview  to  Mt.  Pleasant. 
Twenty  armed  men  were  soon  in  their  saddles  and 
on  their  way  to  Thistle  Valley.  A  few  more  men 
joined  this  Mt.  Pleasant  company  at  North  Bend,  and 
they  all  arrived  at  the  Given  cabin  in  Thistle  Valley 
before  noon.  Here  they  found  Mrs.  Given  outside  of 
the  cabin  stripped  and  lying  on  her  back  with  her 
head  towards  the  shanty,  and  John  Given  Jr.  lying 
on  the  floor  on  his  back  with  his  feet  toward  the  door, 
where  he  had  fallen,  being  shot  in  the  breast.  The 
three  girls  lay  in  the  wagon  box,  each  with  a  deep 
tomahawk  gash  in  the  left  side  of  the  head.  They  were 
all  stripped,  with  the  exception  of  a  small  waist 
which  the  savages  had  left  on  each.  The  bedding 
had  all  been  taken  away,  together  with  much  of  the 
house  furnishings,  guns,  etc.  The  murdered  people 
were  taken  to  Fairview  for  burial  and  Charles  Brown 
and  Charles  W.  Leah,  after  attending  the  funeral, 
went  back  to  Spanish  Fork  by  way  of  Salt  Creek 
Canyon  and  remained  there. 

Ten  or  twelve  of  the  young  calves  which  had 
been  left  in  the  corral  on  the  Given  premises  were 
found  by  the  brethern  tomahawked  across  the  loins 
and  were  dragging  their  hind  parts.  The  supposi- 


144  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

tion  was  that  the  Indians,  fearing  that  the  calves 
would  be  a  hindrance  in  driving  off  the  stock  into 
the  mountains,  had  thus  crippled  the  poor  animals 
to  prevent  them  from  following  their  mothers. 

The  massacre  of  the  Given  family  in  Thistle 
Valley  represents  one  of  the  most  horrible  deeds 
committed  by  the  Indians  during  the  Black  Hawk 
war. 

DAVID  H.  JONES  KILLED  NEAR  FAIBVIEW 

On  Friday,  May  29,  1865,  three  days  after  the 
massacre  of  the  Given  family  in  Thistle  Valley, 
David  H.  Jones,  a  member  of  the  Mormon  Battalion 
and  a  resident  of  Fairview,  was  killed  by  Indians 
about  three  miles  northwest  of  Fairview.  This  kill- 
ing was  supposed  to  be  done  by  the  same  band  of 
Indians  that  had  murdered  the  Given  family. 

Comrade  James  M.  Allred  says  that  ten  persons 
killed  by  Indians  are  buried  in  the  Fairview  ceme- 
tery, namely,  John  Given,  wife  and  four  children, 
Thomas  Jones,  David  H.  Jones,  Jens  Larsen  and 
Nathan  Stewart. 

INDIANS  KILLED  AT  CIRCLEVILLE 

Although  the  Indian  depredations  were  raging 
in  all  directions  and  many  murders  had  been  com- 
mitted by  Black  Hawk  and  his  band  the  year  before, 
the  Piute  Indians  still  remained  in  Circle  Valley 
professing  friendship,  although  they  were  mis- 
trusted by  many  of  the  settlers.  Some  of  their 
actions  were  so  suggestive  that  the  whites  felt 
themselves  in  danger  every  moment,  not  knowing 
when  a  break  would  be  made  by  these  savages  on 
the  settlement.  On  Monday,  April  21,  1866,  an  ex- 


INDIAN  DEPKEDATIONS  145 

press  reached  Circleville  with  the  news  that  two  of 
the  pretended  friendly  Prates  had  shot  and  killed  a 
white  man  who  belonged  to  a  party  of  militia  sta- 
tioned some  distance  up  the  Sevier  River  at  Fort 
Sanford.  This  fort,  which  had  been  built  that 
spring  by  the  militia  under  Silas  Sanford  Smith  and 
his  men  was  about  half  way  between  Circleville  and 
Pangnitch.  Word  was  immediately  sent  to  the 
people  of  Circleville  to  protect  themselves  against 
the  Indians  who  were  camped  in  their  valley.  On 
receiving  this  admonition,  the  men  of  Circleville  set- 
tlement were  called  together  for  consultation,  and 
after  considerable  deliberation  it  was  concluded  as 
the  best  policy  to  place  the  Indians  encamped  near 
their  settlement  under  arrest.  Consequently,  all  the 
able-bodied  men  of  Circleville  were  mustered  into 
service,  some  on  horseback  and  some  on  foot.  Thus 
organized  they  proceeded  to  the  Indian  camp,  which 
they  surrounded  after  dark.  They  had  no  trouble  or 
occasion,  however,  to  use  force  as  James  T.  S.  and 
Jackson  Allred  went  into  the  Indian  camp  and  per- 
suaded the  savages  to  come  to  the  meeting  house  in 
Circleville  to  hear  a  letter  read,  which  had  just  been 
received.  All  the  Indians  complied  willingly  with 
this  request,  with  the  exception  of  one  young  Indian 
warrior  who  not  only  refused  to  go  but  commenced 
to  shoot  at  the  posse,  who  returned  the  fire  and  killed 
him;  the  rest  of  the  Indians  were  guarded  in  the 
meeting  house  that  night.  The  letter  brought  in  by 
express  was  then  read  to  the  Indians  who  were  told 
that  they  would  be  retained  as  prisoners,  awaiting 
further  particulars  of  the  killing  of  the  white  man  at 
Fort  Sanford.  The  Indians  showed  resistance,  but 
their  bows,  arrows  and  knives  were  taken  from  them, 


146  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

and  thus  secured  the  boys  took  turns  in  guarding 
them  through  the  night. 

Toward  evening  of  the  next  day  (April  22nd), 
while  the  Indians  were  still  being  guarded  in  the 
meeting  house,  some  of  them  succeeded  in  getting 
loose  and  immediately  commenced  an  attack  upon  the 
guards,  knocking  two  of  the  men  down.  There  was 
every  reason  to  fear  a  general  break  on  the  part  of 
the  Indians,  and  it  was  decided  that  the  settlement  of 
Circleville  would  be  in  great  danger  if  the  Indians 
were  allowed  to  escape.  In  the  general  melee  and  ex- 
citement which  followed  the  Indians  were  killed,  with 
the  exception  of  a  number  of  children,  who  were 
taken  care  of  by  the  settlers. 

After  this  sad  affair  there  were  no  more  at- 
tacks on  Circleville  on  the  part  of  the  savages,  but 
companies  of  militia  arrived  in  the  valley  from  other 
parts  of  the  Territory  to  assist  the  settlers  in  defend- 
ing themselves,  and  a  strong  guard  was  kept  around 
the  town  after  that.  As  there  was  constant  danger 
from  attacks  by  the  Indians,  the  settlers  had  built 
their  houses  in  fort  style  around  the  meeting  house,  a 
short  distance  east  of  where  Bishop  Peterson  lives 
at  this  writing.  The  settlers  from  Marysvale  moved 
into  Circleville  that  summer,  but  as  the  danger  from 
attack  by  Indians  became  greater  than  ever,  instruc- 
tions were  finally  given  by  the  authorities  of  the 
Church  and  the  men  in  charge  of  the  militia  of  the 
Territory,  that  Circleville,  as  well  as  the  other  places 
on  the  Upper  Sevier,  should  be  vacated  and  the 
people  moved  to  older  and  stronger  settlements  for 
safety.  About  forty  families  were  at  that  time 
living  at  Circleville.  The  evacuation  of  the  settle- 


INDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS  147 

HllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllltllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 

ment  took  place  June  20,  1866,  most  of  them  going 
north  to  Sevier  and  Sanpete  Counties,  while  a  few 
crossed  the  mountains  on  the  west  to  Beaver  and 
other  places,  leaving  their  fields  of  promising  grain 
behind  unharvested,  about  700  acres  of  land  was  un- 
der cultivation  at  the  time.  About  fifteen  families 
constituted  the  population  at  Marysvale,  but  it  is  not 
known  how  much  land  they  had  under  cultivation 
when  they  left  their  settlement,  first  to  seek  refuge  in 
Circleville  and  afterwards  to  vacate  that  place  again 
for  other  parts.  The  fields  thus  left  with  growing 
wheat  and  vegetables  were  afterwards  harvested 
by  people  from  Beaver  who  came  over  the  mountains 
for  that  purpose.  Circleville  and  Marysvale  were 
the  only  two  settlements  in  Piute  Co.  at  that  time. 

ABOUT  150  HEAD  OF  STOCK  STOLEN  FROM 
RICHFIELD. 

The  following  is  from  the  pen  of  the  author, 
Peter  Gottfredson: 

In  1865,  the  Richfield  Canal  was  completed  and 
the  water  turned  into  it  and  the  people  had  got  some 
grain  planted.  It  was  customary  to  driva  the  stock 
down  on  the  river  bottom  to  feed.  One  Saturday 
evening  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  head  were 
driven  down  to  the  sand  knolls,  about  a  mile  north 
of  the  Glenwood  Ford.  Together  with  two  other 
boys  I  was  down  there  all  day  (Sunday)  watching 
them  and  fishing,  and  when  we  left  after  sundown 
the  stock  was  all  right.  On  Monday  morning,  about 
daylight,  I  went  down  after  some  oxen  belonging 
to  myself  and  my  father  to  finish  putting  in  grain. 
When  I  reached  the  place  I  could  not  find  any  of 


148  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


IIIIIIIIIIIM  illinium 


the  cattle,  but  by  looking  around  I  soon  discovered 
that  the  tracks  led  to  a  cattle  ford,  about  a  half  a  mile 
north  of  the  wagon  ford,  and  that  the  stock  had  cross- 
ed the  river.  The  water  in  the  river  being  high,  I 
stripped,  and  carried  my  clothing,  gun  and  pistol 
above  my  head,  the  water  reaching  to  my  arm-pits. 
When  safely  across  I  dressed  and  followed  the 
tracks.  I  thought  at  first  that  the  cattle  had  been 
driven  east  by  way  of  Glenwood  but  I  discovered  that 
they  had  turned  south  up  the  river  bottoms  between 
the  river  and  the  Black  Eidge,  about  two  miles  to  thfe 
place  where  Annabella  now  is  located,  then  they 
had  turned  up  east  through  a  wide  dry  wash  passing 
Saul's  meadow,  and  up  the  Glenwood  mountain. 
Judging  from  footprints  in  the  sand  (in  the  wash) 
I  concluded  that  only  five  Indians  had  been  driving 
the  cattle  and  I  thought  I  could  take  them  away  from 
five  Indians.  I  ran  from  one  bend  of  the  dry  wash 
to  another,  carefully  going  up  the  points  of  ridges 
and  looking  ahead  to  see  if  I  could  discover  them. 
I  followed  in  that  way  up  the  Glenwood  Mountain 
about  four  miles  till  I  struck  the  trail  that  leads 
from  Glenwood  to  Grass  Valley.  There  I  met  two 
oxen  that  had  broken  away  from  the  Indians;  they 
had  both  been  shot  several  times  mostly  through  the 
neck.  One  a  black  Texas  ox  belonging  to  me  had 
two  arrows  sticking  in  its  side,  nearly  in  half  their 
length.  I  had  not  heard  the  shooting  and  concluded 
that  it  was  no  use  to  follow  any  farther,  and  in  fact 
I  began  to  feel  somewhat  timid.  Surmising  that  the 
Indians  must  have  taken  the  stock  in  the  evening, 
soon  after  we  left  them. 

I  drove  the  two  oxen  down  by  way  of  SauPs 
Meadow,  through  a  gulch,  to  the  Glenwood  field; 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  149 

there  I  drove  them  into  a  corral  and  pulled  out  the 
arrows,  after  which  I  drove  them  to  Richfield.  When 
I  arrived  home  I  learned  that  a  lot  of  men  were  out 
hunting  for  me  and  the  stock,  fearing  that  I  had  been 
killed  somewhere  in  the  brush.  Some  of  the  men  fol- 
lowed the  tracks  of  the  stock  the  way  I  had  gone; 
others  were  hunting  for  me  in  the  river  bends.  Most 
of  them  stayed  out  all  day  and  came  home  hungry 
and  tired.  When  they  learned  that  I  had  been  home 
since  before  noon  they  were  cross  and  thought  that 
I  should  be  punished  for  not  coming  home  to  report 
the  stock  gone,  instead  of  following  them.  Major 
Higgins  notified  me  to  appear  in  the  evening  before 
what  was  called  a  court  martial.  I  did  so  and  told 
my  story.  I  remember  that  some  of  the  men  sug- 
gested that  I  should  stand  some  extra  guard  as  a 
penalty  for  my  foolishness.  Major  Glaus  Peter  An- 
dersen said,  I  motion  we  let  him  go ;  I  have  done  such 
foolish  tricks  myself.  They  let  me  go  unpunished. 
During  the  summer  a  company  of  about  twelve  teams 
went  to  Andersen's  Canyon,  south  of  Monroe,  after 
timber,  in  care  of  Major  Andersen;  this  man  had 
been  a  major  in  General  Johnston's  Army,  which 
was  sent  to  Utah  in  1857  and  he  had  also  belonged  to 
a  company  of  rangers  in  Texas  previous  to  joining 
the  army. 

In  the  evening,  at  the  campfire,  I  asked  Major 
Andersen  to  tell  us  one  of  his  fool  tricks  to  which 
he  consented  by  relating  the  following :  On  a  certain 
occasion  while  I  was  doing  military  service  in  Texas, 
some  Indians  took  five  of  the  rangers  prisoners  and 
carried  them  away  with  them.  It  was  in  the  after- 
noon, too  late  for  the  company  to  follow,  but  I  and 
another  man  volunteered  to  follow  the  Indians.  We 


150  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

obtained  information  as  to  the  direction  the  Indians 
had  taken  before  dark.  We  traveled  in  that  direction 
till  about  midnight,  when  we  came  to  a  creek.  Here 
we  saw  the  Indian  fires  about  a  mile  up  the  creek. 
We  left  our  horses  and  waded  up  creek  to  the  camp. 
The  creek  bank  being  about  four  feet  high.  Our 
belts  were  hung  with  Colts  revolvers.  We  laid  the 
pistols  on  the  bank.  We  saw  our  comrades  stripped, 
tied  hand  and  foot  and  lying  near  a  fire,  while  some 
of  the  savages  danced  around  them  and  were  amus- 
ing themselves  by  sticking  brands  of  fire  on  their 
naked  bodies.  After  being  eye-witnesses  to  this  re- 
volting scenes  I  and  my  companion  opened  fire  with 
a  revolver  in  each  hand,  and  as  soon  as  two  revolvers 
were  empty  we  picked  up  two  others  and  repeated 
the  process.  The  Indians  ran  for  the  timber,  without 
having  time  to  get  their  guns,  leaving  their  prisoners. 
My  companion  and  I  unbound  the  men,  secured  some 
clothing,  guns  and  horses,  and  got  back  with  our 
comrades  the  next  day.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  we 
were  highly  interested  in  Major  Andersen's  *>tory. 

— Peter  Gottfredson. 

GOVERNMENT  AID  REFUSED.    THE  MILITIA 
ORDERED  OUT. 

Colonel  0.  H.  Irish,  superintendent  of  Indian 
affairs  for  Utah,  had  previously  to  this  called  on 
Governor  Doty,  asking  the  military  authorities  at 
Fort  Douglas  for  assistance  in  repelling  these  In- 
dian attacks  and  protecting  the  settlements ;  but  he 
was  naively  informed  by  the  commander  at  the  Fort 
that  the  settlers  must  take  care  of  themselves — 
stating  that  the  California  Volunteers  had  no  other 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  151 

III mini i  in  i  ii  i  in  mi mi  in  i iiiiiini in  i  illinium  i  iniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii 

duty  to  perform  than  to  protect  the  overland  Mail 
Route.  Steps  were  accordingly  taken  to  muster  a 
few  companies  of  cavalry  in  the  southern  counties. 

TREATY  BY  COL.  0.  H.  IRISH  AT  SPANISH 
FORK  RESERVATION. 

And  Superintendent  Irish  promptly  proceeded 
to  conclude  a  treaty  with  such  of  the  Indian  Chiefs 
as  appeared  friendly. 

The  personal  influence  of  President  Young  con- 
tributed materially  to  his  success  in  this  direction; 
and  at  a  meeting  held  at  the  Spanish  Fork  reserva- 
tion farm  on  the  8th  of  June,  at  which  speeches  were 
made  by  Colonel  Irish,  President  Young  and  others 
of  the  whites,  and  by  Kanosh,  Sowiette,  Sanpitch  and 
Tabby  in  behalf  of  the  Indians,  the  treaty  was  ac- 
cepted and  the  Chiefs  announced  their  willingness  to 
sign- it.  Next  day  another  meeting  was  held,  more 
speeches  were  made  and  fifteen  chiefs  attached  their 
signatures  to  the  treaty ;  Sanpitch,  a  brother  of  Wal- 
ker and  Arropeen,  of  earlier  notoriety,  alone  refus- 
ing to  sign.  He  relented,  however,  a  few  days  later, 
probably  being  urged  thereto  by  the  generous  pre- 
sents distributed  among  his  associates. 

By  the  terms  of  this  treaty  the  Indians  promised 
to  move  to  CTintah  Valley  within  one  year  from  the 
ratification  of  the  agreement,  giving  up  their  title  to 
the  lands  they  were  then  occupying.  They  were  re- 
quired to  be  peaceful  and  not  go  to  war  with  other 
tribes  except  in  self-defense  nor  to  steal  from  nor 
molest  the  whites.  They  were  to  assist  in  cultivat- 
ing the  reservation  lands  and  to  send  their  children 
to  the  schools  established  for  their  benefit.  On  its 


152  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

it iimiiiiiiiiiimiimiiiiiiiiiiiiin inn iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniii 

part  the  United  States  government  promised  to  ex- 
tend its  protection  to  them ;  farms  were  to  be  laid  out, 
grist  and  lumber  mills  built,  schools  established, 
houses  furnished  and  annuities  paid  to  the  principal 
chiefs ;  and  the  tribes  $25,000  for  the  first  ten  years, 
$20,000  annually  for  the  next  twenty  years,  and  $15, 
000  annually  for  thirty  years  thereafter  were  to  be 
distributed. 

The  Indians  were  also  to  hunt,  dig  roots  and 
gather  berries  on  all  unoccupied  lands,  to  fish  in  their 
accustomed  places,  and  erect  houses  for  the  purpose 
of  curing  their  fish.  On  the  18th  of  September  of  the 
same  year  Colonel  Irish  successfully  negotiated  a 
similar  treaty  with  Piede  Indians  at  Pinto,  Wash- 
ington County. 

Meanwhile  the  hostiles  were  not  inactive,  and 
notwithstanding  the  vigilance  of  the  settlers  and 
the  militia,  frequent  raids  and  occasional  murders 
were  still  perpetrated.  Some  of  the  smaller  settle- 
ments were  entirely  deserted,  and  herds  of  stock 
which  had  formerly  ranged  freely  over  the  moun- 
tain's grassy  sides  were  collected  in  the  valleys  near 
the  larger  villages  where  they  could  be  closely  watch- 
ed. Lurking  in  the  adjacent  fastnesses  the  Indians 
would  swoop  down  in  the  night  time  or  at  an  unex- 
pected moment,  and  almost  before  the  startled  set- 
tlers were  aware,  or  before  the  local  home  guard 
cauld  be  collected  to  repel  the  sally,  the  bold  marau- 
ders would  be  safe  from  pursuit  in  the  rugged  coun- 
try through  whose  passes  and  defiles  they  success- 
fully drove  their  stolen  cattle.  The  season's  work 
yielded  them  as  plunder  two  thousand  head  of  cat- 
tle and  horses,  in  obtaining  which  they  had  killed 
either  by  massacre  or  in  fight,  between  the  thirty  and 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  153 

forty  whites,  including  women  and  children.  Black 
Hawk's  own  numbers  in  the  beginning  had  not  ez- 
ceeded  two  or  three  score  warriors ;  but  his  success 
gave  prestige  to  his  name  and  strength  to  his  follow- 
ing, so  that  although  he  lost  about  forty  of  his  braves 
during  the  campaign,  his  force  at  the  end  of  the  year 
exceeded  a  hundred  men,  and  when  he  retired  for  the 
winter  toward  the  Colorado  River  he  had  beef  and 
horses  for  all  who  wished  to  join  him.  Other  raids 
during  the  year  1865,  besides  those  mentioned  were 
made  near  Salina,  Sevier  County. 

On  Wednesday,  June  7th,  1865,  President  Brig- 
ham  Young  and  party  accompanied  Col.  0.  H.  Irish 
to  the  Indian  Farm  where  a  treaty  was  made  with 
the  Indians.  Dimick  B.  Huntington  and  George  W. 
Bean  were  interpreters.  Col.  Irish  referred  to  some 
good  acts  performed  by  a  few  of  them  and  bestowed 
presents  upon  them.  He  then  read  an  abstract  of  a 
treaty  which  is  quite  liberal  in  its  provisions,  and 
talked  to  them.  He  recalled  his  council  and  advice  to 
them.  Kanosh  led  off  on  the  part  of  the  Indians. 
He  was  a  boy,  but  Sau-e-ett  was  an  old  man  and 
could  speak;  he  couldn't,  yet  he  kept  trying  and 
made  quite  a  speech  before  he  got  through.  Col. 
Irish  talked  with  one  tongue  but  others  had  talked 
with  two ;  they  had  lied  to  the  Indians ;  would  Col. 
Irish  always  talk  one  way?  Brigham  Young  had 
always  talked  with  one  tongue,  they  knew  him,  and 
he  had  never  lied  to  them  but  had  always  spoken  the 
truth  and  been  their  friend.  What  did  he  say  about 
it?  They  did  not  want  to  sell  their  land  and  go 
away ;  they  wanted  to  live  around  the  graves  of  their 
fathers.  Sanpitch  followed  him,  and  spoke  rather 
bitterly,  manifesting  a  strong  desire  to  exert  his  in- 


154  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

fluence  against  the  treaty.  President  Young  then 
talked  to  them.  He  recalled  his  council  and  advise  to 
them  in  the  past,  and  assured  them  he  was  still  their 
friend,  and  advised  them  to  sign  the  treaty  and  ac- 
cept the  provisions  guaranteed  in  it  for  their  bene- 
fit. The  effect  of  his  advice  manifested  itself  in  a 
few  moments,  most  of  the  chiefs  being  strongly  in- 
clined to  act  upon  it  at  the  time,  but  Tabby  counsel- 
ed waiting  a  little  to  calm  their  minds,  so  that  they 
might  act  without  any  excitement  of  feeling.  The 
Pow-wow  was  consequently  adjourned  till  the  next 
morning. 

MEETING  WITH  THE  INDIANS. 

Wednesday  morning  a  little  before  ten  the  Pres- 
ident and  Company  drove  down  to  the  farm,  where 
under  a  temporary  bowery  the  Indians  were  to  meet 
Commissioner  Irish,  to  have  the  treaty  talked  over. 
There  were  present,  besides  Col.  Irish,  representing 
the  United  States  Government,  President  Young, 
Elders  John  Taylor,  W.  Woodruff,  Geo.  A.  Emith, 
F.  D.  Eichards,  Bishop  Hunter,  Mayor  Smoot,  Col's 
J.  C.  Little,  R.  T.  Burton  and  D.  J.  Ross,  Capt.  Win- 
der, Marshal  Gibbs  and  a  number  of  other  gentle- 
men from  G.  S.  L.  City,  Bp.  Harrington  from  Ameri- 
can Fork,  Bp.  Miller  and  Col.  Pace  from  Provo,  Bp. 
A.  Johnson  from  Springville,  Br.  G.  W.  Wilkins  pre- 
siding in  Sp.  Fork,  Bp.  Fairbanks  from  Payson, 
Bishop  A.  Moffat  and  Col.  W.  S.  Snow  from  Manti, 
with  a  considerable  number  of  citizens  from  neigh- 
boring settlements ;  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  Sau- 
e-ett,  Kanosh,  Tabby,  To-quo-ne,  Sanpitch,  and  ele- 
ven other  chiefs  of  lesser  note,  with  a  large  crowd 
of  Indians. 


INDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS  155 

On  Thursday,  8th,  the  President  and  party,  in- 
cluding Elder  George  Q.  Cannon,  left  Payson  about 
half  past  nine  in  the  morning  for  the  farm. 

INDIAN  ETIQUETTE. 

As  the  company  approached  the  farm,  a 
small  part  of  Indians  stationed  on  a  rising  ground, 
notified  the  main  body  of  the  fact,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  after  the  party  arrived  the  Indians  came 
gently  sauntering  down  on  horseback,  seemingly  en- 
deavoring to  keep  up  an  appearance  of  dignity.  All 
the  chiefs  were  present  except  Sanpitch,  who  had 
taken  suddenly  indisposed  to  attend  the  meeting 
or  be  a  participant  in  signing  the  treaty. 

After  a  few  brief  and  pertinent  remarks  by 
Col.  Irish,  the  chiefs  manifested  their  willingness  to 
sign,  and  attach  their  marks  to  the  documents.  Old 
Sau-e-ett  as  the  oldest  chief  leading;  Kanosh,  by 
his  manner,  seemed  to  think  that  simply  putting  his 
mark  to  the  paper  was  rather  small  business.  I 
afterwards  learned  that  he  prided  himself  somewhat 
on  his  ability  to  write  his  name, — a  very  laudable 
source  of  pride,  for,  as  is  well  known,  Indians  gen- 
erally are  in  much  the  same  condition  of  ignorance 
with  regard  to  caligraphy,  that  the  mailed  knights 
of  Christendom  mostly  were  who  bore  the  banner  of 
the  cross  against  the  Saracens  to  rescue  Palestine 
from  their  infidel  hands. 

THE  TALK  AFTERWARDS. 

Col.  Irish  pointed  out  to  them  that  if  they  lived 
up  to  the  conditions  of  the  treaty,  they  might  date 
the  commencement  of  a  career  of  prosperity  from 


156  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

that  day,  encouraging  them  to  do  so. 

President  Young  advised  them  to  remember  the 
good  advice  given  them,  to  learn  to  read  and  write 
and  increase  in  intelligence,  stating  in  connection, 
that  Col.  Irish  had  done  all  he  possibly  could  for 
them,  and  that  he  was  their  friend  and  blessed  them. 

Kanosh,  Tabby  and  Sow-ok-soo-bet  indulged  in 
a  short  talk  each,  expressive  of  their  good  feeling; 
after  which  the  President  strongly  advised  them  not 
to  punish  the  innocent  for  misdeeds  of  the  guilty, 
and  if  any  of  their  own  or  other  bands  should  com- 
mit depredations,  to  catch  the  guilty  ones  and  deliver 
them  up  to  the  authorities  of  the  whites  for  trial.  A 
large  amount  of  presents  were  distributed  among  the 
Indians. 

PRES.  YOUNG  AND  PARTY  LEFT  G.  S.  L. 
CITY  FOR  SANPETE. 

July  7th. — President  B.  Young,  and  several  of 
the  twelve  and  others  left  G.  S.  L.  City  on  a  mission- 
ary trip  to  Sanpete  County,  from  which  they  return- 
ed on  the  19th,  having  traveled  about  three  hun- 
dred miles  and  held  eighteen  meetings. 

R.  GILLISPIE  AND  A.  ROBINSON  KILLED 
SOUTH  OF  SALINA. 

In  July,  1865,  Anthony  Robinson  of  Monroe, 
Sevier  County,  went  to  mill  at  Manti.  He  stoppecj 
at  Gunnison  on  the  night  of  July  12th,  with  Joshua 
Sylvester ;  the  night  of  the  13th  he  camped  near  the 
Willow  Bend  on  the  west  side  of  the  Sevier  River; 
some  men  from  Monroe  were  camping  a  short  dis- 
tance below ;  he  left  his  wagon  and  stayed  with  them 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  157 

*i  iiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiMiiinniiiiMiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinmiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiminiiiiimiiiii* 

that  night.  He  had  a  large  brindle  dog,  which  growl- 
ed several  times  during  the  night,  as  if  something 
was  prowling  around.  Next  morning  (July  14th) 
he  started  for  home.  He  soon  reached  a  point  im- 
mediately west  of  the  Gravely  Ford,  where  two 
washes  come  together,  the  road  crossing  just  below 
them.  The  Indians  had  made  some  small  brush  piles 
on  the  low  ridge  between  where  the  two  washes  came 
together.  There  they  lay  with  their  gun-barrels 
through  the  brush  piles  pointing  towards  the  road 
on  the  brink  of  the  wash,  where  they  could  not  be 
observed.  When  Brother  Robinson  got  within  about 
thirty  feet  of  them,  they  fired,  and  he  fell  back  on 
his  flour  dead.  One  of  the  oxen  was  also  killed, 
while  the  other  ox  broke  the  yoke  in  the 
middle  and  got  away;  he  was  found  about 
two  weeks  afterwards  in  a  larke  willow  patch, 
carrying  half  of  the  yoke.  The  Indians  also 
killed  the  dog.  The  people  of  Monroe  were  waiting 
for  Robinson 's  return  as  the  town  was  out  of  flour. 
When  his  remains  were  found  it  was  discovered  that 
the  Indians  had  scalped  him,  that  they  had  taken 
what  flour  they  could  carry  away  and  then  turned 
the  balance  out  of  the  sacks  over  his.  body.  They  had 
taken  the  sacks  and  all  his  other  things,  gun,  pistol, 
bedding,  etc.,  away  with  them.  The  evening  previous 
Jako  Harris  of  Glenwood  and  Robert  Gillispie  of 
Mount  Pleasant  were  hunting  some  horses  south  of 
Salina.  As  they  were  crossing  a  dry  hollow,  about 
one  half  a  mile  north  of  Lost  Creek,  Indians  fired 
on  them  from  ambush,  shooting  Gillispie  in  the  back. 
Harris  who  was  walking,  beside  him,  leading  his 
horse,  ran  to  the  river  close  by ;  he  claimed  that  he 
ran  so  close  bv  some  Indians  that  he  could  have 


158  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

IIIMIIIIMIIIIIIIlr II  1111  II  I  HTM  Mill  III Illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Illl HIM 

touched  them,  jumped  into  the  river.  He  crossed 
over  and  hid  in  the  willows  on  the  west  side  till 
night;  bare  headed  and  with  feet  bleeding  he  then 
made  his  way  to  Gunnison  about  16  miles  distant. 
A  conference  had  been  appointed  at  Manti, 
President  Young  and  some  of  the  twelve  were  ex- 
pected to  be  there.  On  the  14th  of  July  a  company 
of  men  from  Monroe  (then  called  Alma)  and  some 
from  Richfield,  were  on  their  way  to  Manti  on  horse 
back  enroute  to  Conference.  Near  the  Gravely  Ford 
where  a  trail  left  the  road  making  a  cut-off  to  the 
ford,  they  took  this  trail.  In  doing  so  they  saw  Rob- 
inson's wagon  up  on  the  road,  but  thought  it  was 
some  one  camping.  After  crossing  the  Ford  they 
saw,  near  a  large  bunch  of  brush,  a  man's  hat. 
Lorentz  Dastrup  picked  up  the  hat  and  handed  it  to 
Wm.  Morrison,  after  which  they  rode  on,  crossing 
Lost  Creek  and  the  large  wash.  There  they  saw, 
out  in  an  open  grassy  place,  a  horse  with  the  saddle 
on  feeding,  and  thought  they  saw  a  man  lying 
down  supposedly  resting.  They  stopped  at  Salina. 
Some  men  from  Glenwood  returning  from  Sanpete, 
carried  the  sad  news  of  the  killing  of  Anthony 
Robinson  to  Glenwood  and  then  to  Richfield  and 
Alma,  whose  people  turned  out  and  brought  his  ef- 
fects and  the  body  of  Robinson  home.  Joseph  Mil- 
lett  coming  from  Manti  reported  at  Glenwood  and 
A.  W.  Buchanan  and  Geo.  Pectol  took  the  news  to 
Salina.  An  express  party  under  August  Nielsen  of 
Richfield  also  carried  the  word  to  Salina,  overtak- 
ing Judge  Morrison  and  party,  who  took  the  sad 
news  to  the  Manti  Conference  where  Presiden  Young 
and  party  from  Salt  Lake  City  were  in  attendance. 
A  number  of  men  were  sent  back  from  Salina,  and 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  159 

Illllllllllllltllllllllllllllllllllllll II Illllllllllllllllllllllll Illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllttllllll 

before  reaching  Lost  Creek  went  out  to  where  the 
saddled  horse  had  been  seen  feeding,  and  found  Gil- 
lispie  lying  on  his  back  dead.  As  they  went  on, 
they  could  see  the  tracks  of  Gillispie's  horse  from 
the  hollow  where  the  man  was  shot;  the  horse  had 
been  going  fast  to  where  the  hat  was  found,  about 
three  miles  distant  and  it  proved  to  be  Gillispie's 
hat.  It  appeared  also  that  he  had  turned  and  gone 
east  toward  Glenn's  Twist,  where  a  road  passed 
through  to  Glenwood  and  that  when  he  had  reached 
this  road  he  had  gone  back  and  crossed  the  hol- 
low where  he  was  shot ;  thence  he  rode  out  to  where 
the  body  was  found.  Here  he  is  supposed  to  have 
dismounted  and  died  there.  He  was  taken  to  Mount 
Pleasant  for  burial. 

GEN.  W.  S.  SNOW  TOOK  COMMAND  OF 
SANPETE  MILITIA. 

The  news  of  this  double  murder  aroused  the 
martial  spirit  in  Sanpete,  and  Gen'l  Warren  S.  Scow 
with  about  one  hundred  men  was  soon  on  the  march 
endeavoring  to  head  off  the  hostiles  in  the  mountains 
towards  Fish  Lake.  Gen.  Snow  took  command  of 
the  Sanpete  militia  July  15th. 

GEN.  SNOW  STARTS  AFTER  THE  INDIANS.     THE 

SQUAW  FIGHT  IN  GRASS  VALLEY,  MARINE  YORK 

WOUNDED. 

After  arriving  at  Glenwood  they  stayed  there 
all  day  on  the  17th,  and  at  dusk  started  over  the 
mountain  for  Grass  Valley  over  a  rough  trail,  Joshua 
W.  Sylvester  says — "At  daylight,  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  18th,  we  had  a  good  view  of  the  whole 


160  INDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS 

valley.  Descending  the  mountain,  we  reached  a 
creek,  and  un-saddled,  resting  just  opposite  a  large 
cedar  grove  near  the  present  site  of  Burrville.  The 
picket  guard  was  sent  out  and  returned  in  a  very 
short  time.  We  were  aroused  and  told  that  the  cedars 
were  full  of  Indians.  The  horses  were  soon  saddled 
and  we  surrounded  the  grove.  The  first  shot  was 
fired  by  an  Indian  who  lay  behind  a  fallen  log,  the 
shot  entering  the  breast  of  Marine  York  of  Rich- 
field. Captain  Beach  ordered  his  men  to  dismount 
and  enter  the  cedars  which  was  done  and  the  In- 
dians were  soon  routed.  It  was  part  of  the  band  that 
had  killed  Robinson,  as  we  found  some  of  his  things 
with  them ;  the  main  gang  had  gone  on  ahead.  E.  C. 
Petersen  (Chris  Feuting)  says  that  there  were  six 
Indian  tents  below  the  hill  and  that  Colonel  Ivie's 
company  were  on  the  outskirts  of  the  grove  and  did 
not  see  many  Indians ;  that  after  the  fight  some  of 
his  boys  wanted  to  go  back  and  look  for  dead  In- 
dians and  guns,  but  the  Colonel  said:  "No,  let  the 
squaws  go  and  hunt  up  their  pappooses.  Then  Ivie's 
company  drew  off.  While  some  of  the  others 
searched  the  grounds.  It  was  reported  soon  after 
the  fight  that  only  one  Indian  got  away  and  a  doz- 
en or  more  had  been  killed,  including  some  squaws 
and  pappooses ;  the  militia  had  fired  into  a  large 
bushy  cedar  where  a  lot  of  them  were  concealed.  It 
was  also  said  that  Louis  Thompson  of  Ephraim  and 
a  man  from  Casper's  Company  came  onto  a  bunch 
of  squaws  and  pappooses,  and  that  they  were  left 
there  to  guard  them.  One  of  the  squaws  tried  to 
get  away,  and  when  prevented  by  Thompson,  she 
picked  up  a  stick  of  wood  and  struck  him  with  it ;  he 
then  shot  her.  This  excited  the  others  and  they  were 


NIK1.S    O.    ANDERSON" 
Prominent   -Indian     \V;ir     Vrt^run :     Ephraim,     Utah 


SCOUT 


JOHN     HFBliUU)     XOAKES 


I:KL  STEWART 


EL  LEI,    !?.    CURTIS  ORSON    MORONI    MANWILL 

IN   "A  RACE  FOR  LIFE" 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  161 

till I  II  I  II  I  II  II  I  III  I  II Mill  I  HUM  I I  I.  II  Mill Ill | MM Ml Illlllllllllll 

soon  dispatched.  This  event  has  been  dubbed  "the 
squaw  fight."  Mr.  Sylvester  continues:  We  re- 
turned through  the  head  of  Grass  Valley,  down  Sa- 
lina  Canyon  to  Salina,  where  we  stayed  a  couple  of 
days  jerking  beef  and  getting  provisions  ready  for 
a  trip  into  the  mountains. 

GEN.  SNOW  AND  COMMAND  START  FO 
GREEN  RIVER. 

On  the  evening  of  the  20th  we  started 
out  again,  and  when  about  half  a  mile  from 
town  a  sad  accident  happened;  as  we  stopped 
by  a  large  boulder  to  gird  our  saddles,  Jack  Harper 
set  his  gun  (a  Joslin)  down  against  a  rock  and  in 
some  way  discharged  it,  the  ball  passing  through  the 
cheek  of  the  horse  which  James  Mortensen 
was  riding  and  lodged  under  Mortensen 's  col- 
lar bone ;  he  still  (1917)  carries  that  ball  and  another 
with  which  he  was  shot  later.  The  company  stopped 
there  while  some  of  the  boys  took  him  back  to  Salina. 
After  dark  the  company  traveled  to  Twelve  Mile 
Creek  (now  Mayfield)  and  camped  for  the  night. 
The  next  day  we  went  up  Twelve  Mile  Canyon,  cros- 
sed the  mountain  south  of  the  " Nipple"  and  came  out 
at  the  head  of  Salina  Canyon  where  we  camped  the 
next  night.  Next  day  we  traveled  up  Convulution 
Canyon  and  kept  going  till  late  at  night ;  it  was  moon- 
light, but  the  sky  was  full  of  floating  clouds.  A 
short  distance  down  the  canyon  was  a  pond  of  water, 
and  when  the  moon  shone  out  on  the  water  it  look- 
ed like  fires  being  replenished  at  intervals  with 
brush.  The  country  being  very  rough.  The  men 
thinking  it  was  an  Indian  camp  stood  and  held  their 


162  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


horses  all  night,  intending  to  surround  the  camp  and 
make  an  attack  at  daybreak ;  but  in  the  morning  we 
found  out  our  mistake  and  traveled  down  the  val- 
ley where  we  struck  the  Indians'  trail;  they  were 
driving  a  herd  of  cattle  toward  Green  River.  We  fol- 
lowed, traveling  day  and  night  un'.'.l  we  reacl.ed 
Price  River  where  we  met  Colonel  Reddick  N.  All- 
red's  command.  Colonel  Allred  says  in  his  journal: 
"I  crossed  the  mountains  with  eighty  men.  We  found 
three  or  four  lodges  of  Tabby's  Indians  returning 
from  a  hunt,  and  the  boys  wanted  to  kill  them,  but 
I  restrained  them  because  they  had  their  families 
with  them.  We  formed  a  junction  with  General 
Snow 's  men  on  Price  River  and  went  to  Green  River 
without  seeing  the  marauders.  Returning  we  tra- 
veled by  way  of  Cottonwood  Creek  and  Huntlngton 
Creek  and  crossed  the  mountains  on  the  rocky  trail 
to  Manti." 

Mr.  Sylvester  continues  his  narrative  as  follows : 
After  meeting  Colonel  Allred 's  Command  it  was  de- 
cided to  follow  the  trail  farther.  We  took  an  inven- 
tory of  our  provisions  and  found  that  there  was  a 
pint  of  cracker  crumbs  to  each  man  for  three  days. 
Two  days  travel  brought  us  to  Green  River  where 
we  remained  one  day.  Some  of  the  boys  swam  the 
river  and  found  tracks  which  looked  as  fresh  as  if 
they  had  been  made  that  morning.  Most  of  the  boys 
wanted  to  follow  the  trail  (tracks)  but  the  officers 
decided  that  on  account  of  jaded  horses  and  being  out 
of  supplies  we  had  better  give  up  the  chase,  which, 
from  what  we  learned  afterwards,  was  a  lucky  thing 
for  us.  Thomas  Caldwell,  one  of  the  company,  who 
in  after  years  talked  with  Chief  Jake  Arropeen, 
was  told  by  that  chief  that  he  saw  him  (Cald- 


INDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS  163 

well)  come  to  the  river  to  get  water,  and  could  have 
shot  him.  Caldwell  asked:  " Why  didn't  you/ '  The 
chief  answered  that  he  did  not  want  to;  he  also 
said  that  the  Indians  could  have  shot  the  men  who- 
swam  the  river.  ' '  Why  didn  't  you  shoot  them, ' '  ask- 
ed Caldwell.  Arropeen  replied  that  they  wanted  all 
the  men  to  get  into  the  river  first,  then  the  water 
would  have  been  red.  He  said  the  Indians  were  am- 
bushed, and  as  soon  as  the  white  men  had  got  into 
the  stream  they  were  going  to  open  fire.  We  started 
back  the  next  morning,  traveling  two  days  and  night 
without  food.  On  the  third  day  we  were  so  nearly 
starved  that  the  men  wanted  to  kill  a  horse.  The 
officers  told  them  that  if  they  did  not  meet  supplies 
that  day  we  might  kill  an  animal. 

But  that  evening  we  met  the  men  with  the  packs 
of  supplies  at  the  mouth  of  Rock  Canyon;  we  tore 
the  sacks  open  and  filled  our  pockets  and  shirt  bos- 
oms with  biscuits  and  started  up  the  trail ;  we  could 
only  go  single  file  till  we  reached  the  top  of  the  ridge 
or  mountain. 

The  next  day  we  all  took  our  different  routes  for 
our  homes  from  the  top  of  the  mountain.  Our  boys 
reached  Gunnison  at  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  sing- 
ing, "We  will  rally  round  the  flag,  boys." 

ATTACK  ON  GLENWOOD,  MERRITT 
STALY  WOUNDED. 

At  daybreak,  on  July  26,  1865,  Merritt  Staley,  a 
blacksmith  at  Glen  wood,  went  out  after  coal  to  start 
a  fire  in  his  shop.  As  he  raised  up  with  a  basket 
of  coal  he  was  fired  upon  by  Indians  who  lay  con- 
cealed under  the  creek  bank ;  one  bullet  went  through 


164  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


iiliiimiiiiiiliilim 


his  right  breast,  one  seared  his  lip  under  his  nose,  and 
still  another  grazed  his  forehead.  He  placed  his  hat 
over  his  breast  where  he  was  shot  and  shouted  * '  Help 
murder, ' '  and  partly  fell  down  the  steps  into  the  dug- 
out where  he  and  his  family  lived.  Glenwood  had 
only  been  settled  the  previous  year  and  only  a  very 
few  houses  had  as  yet  been  built.  Staley's  wife  got 
out  of  bed  and  ran  down  to  the  house  of  Peter  Allen, 
who  lived  across  the  block,  and  gave  the  alarm,  say- 
ing that  her  husband  had  been  shot,  and  that  her  two 
little  girls  were  in  bed  and  would  surely  be  killed. 
Isaac  Allen,  a  mere  boy,  grabbed  a  gun  and  ran  up 
through  the  lot  into  the  dugout.  He  seized  the  two 
little  girls,  one  in  each  arm,  and  ran  with  them,  the 
bullets  flying  all  around  him. 

At  the  first  shot,  Solomon  Case,  who  lived  just 
across  the  road  cried  out  " Indians,"  he  got  his  gun 
from  above  the  door,  and  opened  the  door  to  look  out, 
when  Thomas  Goff,  his  step-son,  fourteen  years  old, 
went  outside  in  time  to  see  Staley  fall,  as  he  sup- 
posed, into  the  cellar,  and  also  to  see  his  wife  run 
down  to  Aliens.  An  Indian  called  out,  "Sol  Case, 
shoot  him"  when  a  volley  from  the  Indians  on  the  hill 
was  fired  at  the  boy  Goff,  bullets  hitting  all  around 
him.  The  boy  ran  back  into  the  house,  opened  the 
back  or  west  door  which  had  no  hinges,  but  was  held 
in  place  with  pegs,  laid  it  down  on  the  floor,  ran  out 
and  down  to  main  street,  where  he  met  some  men, 
who  saw  an  Indian  on  the  hill  squat  down  and  shoot 
at  some  one.  Mrs.  Case  was  in  bed  with  a  baby  girl 
two  days  old,  and  the  nurse  (Mrs.  Charlotte  Beal) 
picked  up  the  baby  and  ran  down  through  a  patch  of 
corn.  Mrs.  Case  said  to  her  husband  "If  you  don't 
take  me  down  town  I  will  get  up  and  run."  Mr. 


INDIAN  DEPBEDATIONS  165 

Case  wrapped  a  quilt  round  her,  and  with  the  cor- 
ners over  his  shoulders  carried  her  on  his  back  down 
to  the  main  part  of  the  town. 

The  Indians  kept  up  a  constant  fire  from  the 
rocks  on  the  hill  and  some  of  the  brethren  went  up 
near  the  hill  and  took  shelter  behind  a  house. 

Bishop  Wareham  who  had  a  Sharp's  rifle,  re- 
marked :  *  *  there  sits  a  beggar  on  a  rock, ' '  and  hand- 
ed his  gun  to  George  Pectol,  who  crawled  out  to 
a  wagon  box,  took  rest  and  fired ;  at  the  crack  of  the 
gun  the  Indian  fell  backwards  off  the  rock.  Another 
Indian  said  later  that  the  shot  fired  by  Pectol  took 
the  Indian's  jaw  off. 

The  people  at  Glenwood  started  a  man  with  an 
express  for  Salina,  but  he  was  headed  off  a  short  dis- 
tance north  of  town.  Then  Samuel  Short  was  sent  to 
Richfield  and  got  through.  When  returning  a  com- 
pany of  men  went  with  him  to  Glenwood. 

In  Richfield  the  drum  beat  about  nine  o'clock 
a.  m.  Those  out  on  picket  duty  came  in,  and  as  they 
had  their  guns,  they  were  ordered  to  get  horses  as 
quickly  as  possible  and  go  to  Salina,  as  the  Indians 
were  moving  in  that  direction.  Peter  Gottfredson, 
one  of  them  writes:  There  were  ten  of  us  and  we 
were  ordered  to  get  through,  if  we  had  to  fight  our 
way.  When  at  Cedar  Ridge  some  Indians  were  seen 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river  moving  north,  and  when 
nearing  the  Willow  Bend,  Indians  were  seen  passing 
a  bunch  of  brush  going  toward  the  river ;  the  road  at 
this  place  passed  along  the  river  bank  on  the  west 
side.  No  doubt,  if  we  had  followed  the  road,  we 
would  have  been  shot  at  but  we  circled  up  toward  the 
west  mountains,  out  of  gun  reach  and  came  back  into 
the  road  about  a  half  mile  north  of  the  bend.  There 


166  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


a  consultation  was  held,  in  which  it  was  decided  that 
it  was  not  safe  for  us  to  cross  the  river  at  the  regu- 
lar ford.  Consequently  a  cattle  ford  was  chosen. 
When  we  got  to  town,  we  learned  that  most  of  the 
men  had  gone  to  Manti  to  mill,  but  was  expected 
home  the  next  day. 

We  all  stood  guard  that  night.  The  next  day 
about  ten  o'clock  the  Salina  men  came  home;  they 
had  camped  at  Willow  Creek,  distant  about  eight 
miles,  during  the  night.  Soon  after,  five  of  us  start- 
ed home.  When  within  about  three  miles  of  Rich- 
field we  scattered  out  hunting  rabbits.  Some  one 
outside  of  town  saw  us  and  reported  that  the  Indians 
were  coming;  he  knew  that  it  was  Indians,  for  one 
had  on  a  red  blanket.  I  had  on  a  big  red  flannel 
shirt  which  I  wore  instead  of  a  coat.  The  drum  beat 
and  all  the  people  gathered  at  the  meeting  house. 
When  we  got  to  town  and  saw  no  one,  we  wondered 
what  was  wrong,  but  when  we  got  to  the  public  square 
we  saw  the  people  at  the  meeting  house,  and  when 
things  were  explained  it  was  learned  that  we  were 
the  Indians  that  had  been  seen.  Many  of  the  men 
with  the  best  guns  were  out  in  pursuit  of  real  Indians 
who  had  driven  away  a  lot  of  stock. 

MINUTE  COMPANIES  ORDERED  AWAY 
FROM  HOME. 

About  this  time  it  was  decided  to  send  the  min- 
ute companies  away  from  their  homes  to  guard  the 
trails  and  mountain  passes.  About  the  28th  of  July, 
Captain  Niels  L.  Christensen  with  a  company  of  men 
from  Richfield  and  Captain  Isaac  M.  Allred  with  a 
company  from  Spring  City  were  stationed  at  Fort 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


Gunnison  to  guard  the  trails  between  Salina  and 
Twelve  Mile  Creek ;  they  were  ordered  out  for  sixty 
days.  While  there,  nothing  of  special  importance 
happened,  but  one  evening  the  cowherders  came  in 
without  the  herd  and  reported  that  the  Indians  were 
over  the  Sevier  river  gathering  up  the  stock.  We 
were  soon  in  the  saddle  and  over  the  river.  The 
night  being  dark,  we  hunted  for  some  time  but  final- 
ly found  the  herd  lying  down  in  a  bend  of  the  river 
and  brought  the  animals  to  town. 

The  Gunnison  boys  were  stationed  up  the  Sevier 
river,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Glenwood.  At  the  end 
of  fifty  days  we  were  all  allowed  to  go  home. 

BATTLE  AT  RED  LAKE,  SNOW,  TAYLOR 
AND  FRANSEN  WOUNDED. 

Nearly  two  months  had  passed  since  there  had 
been  any  serious  outbreak.  But  Indians  were  prowl- 
ing round  Circleville,  and  it  was  reported  that  they 
had  a  rendezvous  somewhere  near  Fish  Lake,  east  of 
Sevier  Valley. 

General  Warren  S.  Snow  with  103  men  went  up 
the  River  as  far  as  Circleville ;  he  had  with  him  Col- 
onel John  Ivie's  company  of  cavalry  from  Mount 
Pleasant,  and  Captain  N.  S.  Beache  's  company  from 
Manti,  with  some  recruits  from  other  companies; 
they  went  to  investigate  the  condition  of  affairs  and 
arrived  in  Circleville  September  18, 1865.  On  the  19 
they  marched  up  the  east  fork  of  the  Sevier  to  Clover 
Flat,  where  they  encamped  for  the  night.  There  they 
got  onto  the  Indian's  trail,  which  they  follwed  over 
the  plateau  between  Grass  and  Rabbit  Valleys.  Night 
overtook  them  before  reaching  the  latter  valley;  it 


168  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

was  raining  and  very  dark;  they  made  camp  in  the 
head  of  a  very  rough  canyon.  Early  next  morning 
(September  21st)  Ezra  Shoemaker  and  another  man 
went  out  to  reconnoiter;  they  found  the  track  o?  a 
pony  which  had  come  within  half  a  mile  of  camp  and 
turned  back ;  they  reported  what  they  had  seen.  The 
company  then  worked  their  way  down  the  canyon. 
When  they  reached  the  flat  country,  at  a  small  lake 
or  pond  called  Bed  Lake,  near  Thousand  Lake  Moun- 
tain, they  made  a  halt.  General  Snow  and  Col.  Ivie 
went  up  a  black,  rock  ridge  to  ge  t  a  view  of  the  coun- 
try and  its  surroundings.  When  near  the  top,  Coj. 
Ivie  saw  a  ramrod  wiggling  behind  a  brush  only  a  few 
paces  away,  and  exclaimed  ' '  There  they  are, ' '  when 
a  volley  was  fired  from  ambush,  one  bullet  hitting 
and  seriously  wounding  General  Snow  in  the 
shoulder. 

The  men  retreated  to  the  company,  when  a  gen- 
eral battle  ensued;  the  Indians  firing  from  ambush 
on  top  of  the  hill.  The  Indians  over- shot  —the  bul- 
lets singing  over  the  heads  of  the  soldiers,  striking  in 
the  water,  fairly  making  it  boil.  Orson  Taylor  of 
Richfield  received  a  serious  gun-shot  wound  in  the 
side.  George  Frandsen  of  Mount  Pleasant,  while 
concealed  in  a  gully,  trying  to  get  a  shot  at  an  In- 
dian he  had  seen,  received  a  bullet  high  in  the  fore- 
head, the  missle  plowing  through  his  hair  and  fill- 
ing his  eyes  and  face  with  blood,  but  it  caused  no  fur- 
ther injury.  A  short  retreat  was  ordered  for  the  pur- 
pose of  getting  flanking  movements  on  the  savages, 
when  it  was  noticed  that  one  Qf  the  pack  animals  had 
been  left  behind.  Ezra  Shoemaker  of  Manti  and  an- 
other man  went  back,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  shower  of 
bullets  from  the  enemy  recovered  the  animal  with 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  169 


the  pack.  The  fighting  continued  till  night  and  sev- 
eral Indians  were  killed.  The  militia  crossed  back 
over  the  mountain  in  the  night  to  Grass  Valley  and 
made  camp.  Next  day  they  marched  down  King's 
Meadow  Canyon  to  Glendwood,  where  they  separated 
and  returned  to  their  respective  homes. 

ATTACK  ON  EPHRAIM,  SEVEN  SETTLERS 
KILLED,  TWO  WOUNDED. 

Contributed  by  N.  0.  Anderson. 

On  the  17th  of  October,  1865,  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, Peter  Larsen  came  to  me  and  asked  me  to  go  with 
him  into  the  canyon,  saying  that  it  would  be  safe  be- 
cause a  number  of  men  had  gone  up ;  so  we  went  up 
together.  We  had  proceeded  up  the  canyon  a  dis- 
tance of  about  five  miles  to  the  forks  ot  the  three 
roads,  above  the  long  bridge,  when  we  saw  a  man 
coming  down  the  road  on  the  run;  it  was  Henry 
Green,  who  told  us  to  turn  back,  that  the  Indians 
were  up  above  in  the  canyon  and  from  their  ambush 
had  killed  some  of  the  boys  belonging  to  a  company 
of  six.  Benjamin  Black,  Peter  Graves,  Thomas  Wol- 
sey,  Wm.  T.  Hite  and  two  others  constituted  the  com- 
pany. The  place  where  they  stopped  to  get  their 
loads  was  one  fourth  of  a  mile  east  of  the  lake  on 
Lake  Hill.  Peter  Graves  in  running  west  came 
on  to  an  Indian  in  the  brush  who  had  fired  his  gun 
and  had  not  had  time  to  re-load.  Graves  passed  the 
Indian  and  ran  down  Maple  creek,  followed  by  two 
other  Indians  nearly  all  day.  He  had  a  dog  with  him 
and  when  hiding  in  the  brush  had  to  hold  the  dog's 
mouth  to  keep  him  from  barking  and  revealing  his 
whereabouts.  He  ran  across  Birch  Creek  and  onto 


170  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

the  bald  mountain  where  the  Indian  fired  at  him  and 
then  turned  back.  He  got  home  after  dark.  Wolsey 
ran  east  and  warned  Louis  Larsen  and  Rasmus 
Jensen  who  then  ran  north  and  down  the  north  side 
of  the  canyon,  being  in  sight  of  the  Indians  all  the 
time.  Wm.  T.  Hite  also  ran  down  the  canyon  and 
got  on  the  dugway;  he  was  killed  on  the  so-called 
Wire  Grass  Flat. 

Down  on  the  same  road  where  the  men  were 
killed  known  as  the  Black  Stump  Road,  some  men 
were  at  work  getting  out  timber,  namely,  Peter  Isaac- 
sen,  James  C.  Jensen  and  Ole  C.  Jensen;  they  ran 
north  and  joined  Louis  Larsen  and  Thomas  Wol- 
sey ;  they  all  reached  home  safely.  Among  the  men 
killed  was  Soren  N.  Jespersen,  50  years  old.  It  ap- 
peared that  he  had  been  fearfully  tortured  while  yet 
alive.  Being  quite  deaf,  he  did  not  hear  the  boys 
when  they  called  to  him.  The  Indians  came  upon 
him  unawares  and  got  between  him  and  his  wagon 
where  he  had  left  his  gun.  Thus  he  was  at  their 
mercy.  When  Peter  Larsen  and  I  met  Henry  Green, 
we  turned  back  and  wTent  down  about  a  fourth  of  a 
mile  to  the  Black  Spring;  had  we  arrived  there  one 
minute  later  we  would  have  been  cut  off.  The  In- 
dians came  into  the  road  a  few  rods  behind  us,  but 
we  dodged  behind  a  hill  and  went  down  the  creek 
road.  The  Indians  went  down  the  dugway  and  tried 
to  head  us  off,  but  they  came  in  behind  us  and  did  not 
see  us.  They  went  up  the  way  we  came  down,  expect- 
ing to  meet  us.  We  had  then  ran  about  two  miles  and 
continued  on  to  the  grist  mill  where  my  partners 
stopped.  I  continued  on  into  town  and  gave  the 
alarm.  Arming  myself  with  a  gun  I  went  back  to 
the  mill.  The  Indians  were  then  out  of  the  canyon, 


INDIAN  DEPBEDATIONS  171 

illllllllllllltlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll illinium I lit IIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 

making  for  the  fields ;  a  few  of  us  got  together  and 
started  down  also.  We  saw  some  teams  coming  on 
the  road  from  Manti  and  Indians  directing  their 
course  towards  them.  With  these  teams  was  my 
brother-in-law  Andrew  H.  Whitlock,  who  was  driv- 
ng  a  carriage  slowly  toward  Ephraim.  He  had  in 
the  rig  an  old  doctor-Lady,  Mrs.  Snow  of  Manti 
and  L.  C.  Larsen.  Mrs.  Snow,  on  noticing  the  ap- 
proach of  the  Indians,  said, ' 1  The  Indians  are  going 
to  hurt  you. ' '  Whitlock  replied  that  he  thought  the 
Indians  had  made  peace  and  therefore  he  did  not  in- 
crease his  speed.  Some  Indians  crossed  the  road 
about  seventy-five  yards  in  front  of  them  and 
stopped.  Whitlock  now  whipped  up  the  horses,  but 
the  Indians  fired  as  they  passed,  one  bullet  from 
their  volley  hitting  one  of  the  horses  in  the  flank; 
it  ranged  forward,  but  the  horse  kept  up  his  speed 
till  he  got  into  Charles  Whitlock 's  yard  in  the  center 
of  town,  where  he  fell  dead. 

While  running,  L.  C.  Larsen  got  down  on  the 
double-trees  and  lay  low,  while  Whitlock  stayed  in 
the  seat.  Chief  Yenewoods  who  was  well  known  by 
the  white  people,  rode  along  beside  the  carriage 
shooting  at  the  people  till  he  emptied  his  revolver, 
but  did  not  hit  any  of  them.  With  his  bow,  however, 
he  shot  an  arrow  into  Whitlock 's  back  and  then  left. 
Larsen  got  up  from  the  wagon  tongue  and  pulled  the 
arrow  out  of  Whitlock 's  back.  Brother  Whitlock 
suffered  all  the  rest  of  his  life  from  that  wound. 

The  Indians  then  rode  into  the  field  west  of 
the  town  and  killed  Martin  P.  Kuhre,  about  28  years 
old,  and  wife,  Hansine  Kristine,  28  years  old,  and 
Elizabeth  Petersen,  a  grown  girl,  17  years  old. 


172  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

Soren  A.  Sorensen  was  near  by  when  Kuhre 
fell.  The  Indian  chief  Black-Hawk  rode  towards 
him.  Sorensen  states  that  when  he  met  Black-Hawk 
he  walked  np  to  him  and  rested  his  hand  on  the  horn 
of  the  Chief's  saddle.  Black-Hawk  told  Sorensen 
that  he  was  going  to  get  some  cattle.  While  in  con- 
versation with  the  chief  other  Indians  killed  Kuhre 
within  thirty  feet  of  them,  and  his  wife  not  more 
than  fifty  yards  distant.  Kuhre  fell  with  his  two 
year  old  son  in  his  arms;  the  little  boy  made  his 
v/ay  to  his  dead  mother  where  he  was  picked  up  by 
Morten  Benson  and  carried  to  town  by  John  F.  F. 
Dorius.  N.  0.  Anderson,  who  has  given  most  of  this 
information,  asked  Sorensen  how  he  could  account 
for  the  kindness  of  the  Indian  chief  towards  him. 
Sorensen  answered  "I  cannot  say  why,  unless  it  was 
owing  to  the  fact  that  when  I  was  home  with  my  par- 
ents, my  mother  took  a  liking  to  the  young  Indian 
Black  Hawk;  and  when  he  came  to  our  house,  she 
would  frequently  invite  him  to  eat  with  us,  and 
would  give  him  almost  anything  he  asked  for.  The  In- 
dians did  not  take  Sorensen 's  team,  but  gathered  up 
what  stock  they  wanted,  about  two  hundred  head, 
and  went  back  the  way  they  came.  They  left  some  of 
their  number  stationed  all  the  way  from  where  they 
started  with  the  cattle  and  up  the  canyon.  When 
the  Indians  crossed  the  county  road  with  the  stock, 
Louis  Larsen  and  William  Thorp  came  along  and 
asked  me  to  go  with  them.  We  followed  along 
behind,  while  other  citizens  were  scattered  along 
the  road  toward  the  mill,  a  distance  of  about  a  mile. 
When  we  got  up  above  the  guard  knoll  known  as  the 
Big  Rocks,  the  Indians  made  a  stand,  and  we  had  a 
battle  with  them  which  lasted  several  hours.  Wil- 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  173 

IllllllllllllllllllllllllnilllMlllltlMIIIMMI Illllllltlllllllllllll Illllllllllllllllllllllltllllllllllllllllllllllllllll 

liam  Thorp  was  killed  and  Louis  Larsen  was  wound- 
ed in  the  leg.  This  ended  that  day's  tragedy;  seven 
persons  had  been  killed  and  about  two  hundred  head 
of  stock  driven  off. 

I  have  written  this  according  to  the  best  of  my 
recollection,  I  have  also  consulted  those  living  who 
were  in  the  most  dangerous  places  and  took  part 
in  the  affairs." 

The  following  was  reported  by  Charles  Whit- 
lock  and  corrected  by  Ezra  Shoemaker: 

On  Saturday,  Oct.  18th,  a  small  body  of  men 
from  Manti  and  Ephraim  went  up  the  canyon  after 
the  bodies  of  those  who  had  been  killed  by  Indians 
the  day  previous.  They  brought  he  body  of  Ben- 
jamin Black  down  to  where  Soren  Jespersen  lay. 
The  remains  of  the  latter  were  found  about  a  rod 
from  his  wagon ;  his  hands  and  feet  were  chopped  off 
and  also  the  upper  part  of  his  head.  The  rescuing 
party  placed  the  bodies  of  the  two  men  on  a  two- 
wheeled  logging  cart.  They  all  went  down  the  can- 
yon, pulling  the  cart  by  hand.  When  they  got  down 
some  distance,  they  saw  some  horse-men  and  think- 
ing they  were  Indians  it  caused  some  excitement. 
The  parties  seen  proved  to  be  men  from  Ephraim 
who  had  come  up  to  assist  in  bringing  the  bodies 
down.  The  two  parties  met  on  the  Wire-Grass  Flat 
where  they  picked  up  the  body  of  Wm.  T.  Hite  and 
brought  the  three  bodies  down  to  town. 

The  seven  persons  killed  were  buried  in  the  old 
cemetery  north  of  Ephraim. 

The  following  statement  of  L.  C.  Larson  of  May- 
field  was  written  to  Niels  0.  Anderson  of  Ephraim, 
Utah,  about  1916. 


174  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

I  was  on  my  way  from  Circleville,  Piute  County, 
Utah,  loaded  with  grain  and  headed  for  Salt  Lake 
City  to  purchase  fire-arms  and  ammunition.  At 
Manti  I  met  Andrew  Whitlock  who  was  there  from 
Ephraim  for  a  doctor  lady,  Maria  Snow.  As  I  had 
not  been  at  Ephraim  for  about  two  years  and  had 
not  met  our  comrade  Mr.  Whitlock  before  during 
this  period,  he  asked  me  to  ride  with  him  from  Manti 
to  Ephraim  and  have  Louis  Thompson  drive  my 
team,  to  which  I  consented. 

On  stepping  into  Whitlock 's  rig,  I  informed 
Thompson  that  there  was  a  gun  and  pistol  placed 
under  the  quilt  in  the  wagon.  These  I  carried  with 
me  because  several  people  had  been  killed  by  In- 
dians during  the  summer,  south  and  north. 

We  first  saw  the  Indians  when  we  were  approxi- 
mately two  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Ephraim ;  they 
were  first  seen  by  us  east  of  the  road,  south  of  the 
so-called  guard  knoll.  At  first  sight  we  mistook  them 
for  some  of  the  boys  out  scouting,  but  all  at  once  they 
made  a  dash  towards  us  at  full  speed.  Upon  reach- 
ing the  old  Willow  Creek  Ditch  they  leaped  it  with- 
out checking,  where-upon  I  made  the  remark : ' '  They 
are  Indians  and  are  riding  very  recklessly."  Whit- 
lock, (familiarly  known  as  Cap,)  answered,  that  he 
thought  perhaps  it  was  the  Chief  Sanpitch  bringing 
the  Indians  down  to  make  peace,  as  that  had  been 
talked  of.  Lady  Snow  speaking  in  the  Danish  lang- 
uage remarked  that  they  were  going  to  hurt  us,  but 
Whitlock  replied:  "If  we  try  to  run,  they  will  head 
us  off."  The  Indians  crossed  the  road  about  seven- 
ty-five yards  ahead  of  us  and  about  thirteen  of  them 
formed  a  quarter  circle  about  thirty  yards  from  the 
road  on  the  west.  As  we  were  passing  them  they 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  175 

leveled  their  guns  on  us  and  fired.  They  wounded 
one  of  the  horses  which  died  as  soon  as  we  stopped  at 
Chas.  Whitlock's  place  at  Ephraim.  As  soon  as 
they  leveled  their  guns  on  us,  Lady  Snow  placed 
her  head  in  her  lap,  which  position  she  held  until 
we  reached  town.  Our  team  was  a  pair  of  trained 
racing  horses,  and  as  soon  as  the  Indians  raised  their 
guns  on  us  the  teams  was  on  full  speed.  Chief  Yene- 
woods  was  the  only  one  who  overtook  us,  he  was 
on  the  left  (West)  side  of  the  road  and  leveled  his 
pistol  on  me  within  three  feet  or  less,  where  upon  I 
leaped  over  the  dash-board  onto  the  tongue  where 
I  sat  for  a  distance  of  a  mile  or  more,  during  which 
he  emptied  his  pistol  at  us  and  also  shot  several  ar- 
roAvs  at  us,  none  of  which  took  effect,  until  we  reach- 
ed a  swale  with  a  ditch  in  the  bottom  where  the  team 
slacked  speed.  Then  an  arrow  took  effect  under 
Whitlock's  left  shoulder  on  a  slant  toward  the  back, 
six  inches  deep.  On  hearing  him  groan,  I  jumped 
back  into  the  seat  and  took  the  lines  and  whip  saying, 
"You  are  hit  with  an  arrow;  shall  I  pull  it  out." 
He  answered,  "Yes,  if  you  can."  I  did  so,  when 
we  had  reached  a  point  where  Soren  Sorensen  now 
lives  at  Ephraim.  The  swale  referred  to  is  the  one 
in  Peter  Graves  '&  land,  where  the  old  county  road 
used  to  be.  On  account  of  the  excitement  I  can  not 
remember  if  the  arrow  was  hard  to  pull  out  of  his 
shoulder.  However,  I  got  it  out,  but  Brother  Whit- 
lock  still  feels  the  effect  of  the  wound,  so  he  informed 
me  the  last  time  I  saw  him. 

The  Indians  followed  us  to  the  center  of  the 
block  north  of  Niels  Thompson's  present  home, 
where  they  turned  west  into  the  field  and  killed 
Morten  Pedersen  Kuhre,  his  wife  and  sister  in  law, 


176  INDIAN  DEPBEDATIONS 

leaving  a  small  boy,  less  than  three  years  old.  This 
child  was  found  crawling  on  his  dead  mother.  Leav- 
ing this  place  the  Indians  went  still  farther  west  in- 
to the  field,  driving  off  the  Ephraim  cow-herd  and 
several  horses,  after  which  they  made  their  way  back 
to  the  hills  south  of  town. 

RAID  ON  CIRCLEVILLE,  FOUR  PERSONS 
KILLED. 

Indians  made  a  raid  on  Circleville,  Piute  County 
November  26,  1865,  killing  four  persons  and  drove 
off  most  of  the  stock  belonging  to  Circleville. 

Mrs.  Mads  Nielsen  of  Spring  City  wrote  the  fol- 
lowing graphic  account  of  this  raid  and  of  what  be- 
fell her  and  her  husband.  "On  the  morning 
of  the  26th  of  November  1865,  my  husband,  Mads 
Nielsen  and  I  left  Marysvale  for  Circleville  our 
home,  returning  from  a  visit  to  Salt  Lake  City.  When 
within  ten  miles  of  home  we  passed  another  team 
which  was  driven  by  my  Brother-in-Law,  James 
Monsen.  Being  so  near  home  we  thought  there  would 
be  no  danger  of  Indians.  When  we  reached  a  point 
about  three  miles  from  town  and  was  driving  around 
a  hill,  we  saw  a  herd  of  cattle  being  driven  toward 
the  mouth  of  the  canyon.  I  became  very  much 
frightened,  believing  it  was  Indians,  and  I  begged 
my  husband  to  turn  back.  But  as  he  thought  the 
Indians  had  already  seen  us,  he  suggested  that  by 
driving  fast  we  might  reach  a  company  of  men  who 
were  in  pursuit  of  the  Indians.  In  a  few  minutes  the 
Indians  left  the  stock  and  with  a  yell  started  towards 
us.  Our  horses  were  very  tired,  but  we  urged  them 
on,  thinking  we  might  reach  a  swamp  about  three- 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  177 

•IIIIIIIIMIIMIIIIIMIIIIIIII Ill Ml  Illl  I  III  Illl. Ill  I  I  II  I Illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll 

fourths  of  a  mile  ahead,  but  in  this  we  did  not  suc- 
ceed. The  Indians  rode  up  to  us,  and  one  of  them 
was  in  the  act  of  shooting  my  husband,  who,  however, 
frightened  him  away  some  distance  by  pointing  an 
old  revolver  at  him.  I  suppose  I  am  now  safe  in  tell- 
ing that  the  revolver  was  an  old  broken  one,  but  of 
course,  we  did  not  tell  the  Indian  so.  Mr.  Redskin 
now  turned  and  shot  our  best  horse,  which  of  course 
stopped  the  team.  At  the  request  of  my  husband,  I 
with  my  two  year  old  brother  in  my  arms,  jumped 
from  the  wagon,  while  the  Indian  was  reloading  his 
gun.  Willows  were  growing  along  the  road,  but  as 
they  were  low  they  did  not  afford  much  protection. 
The  Indian  again  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  around 
trying  to  get  a  chance  to  shoot  my  husband.  At 
this  juncture  I  jumped  into  a  slough  that  was  near, 
in  which  the  water  reached  up  to  my  neck,  but  I  pre- 
ferred drowning  to  being  captured  by  the  Indians. 
My  husband  again  pointed  the  revolver  at  the  In- 
dian who  again  turned  back.  My  husband  then  took 
my  little  brother  whom  I  was  holding  up  out  of  the 
water  and  I  climbed  out  of  the  slough.  We  walked  a 
short  distance  and  tried  to  cross  the  swamp  at  an- 
other point,  but  were  headed  off  by  ten  Indians. 
Hence  we  got  into  the  water  again.  The  little  boy 
began  to  cry  because  the  water  was  so  cold,  and  we 
left  the  slough  once  more.  I  sat  down  behind  a 
bunch  of  willows  taking  the  little  boy  in  my  lap,  and 
my  husband  stood  over  us  to  give  what  protection 
he  could.  The  Indians  did  not  follow  us  into  the 
the  willows,  but  turned  their  attention  to  the  wagon 
and  its  belongings.  They  cut  the  harness  from  the 
wounded  horse,  leaving  the  collar,  and  took  the 
wagon  cover  off.  They  emptied  the  flour  on  the 


178  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

ground,  cut  the  feather  bed  tick  and  scattered  all  the 
feathers,  threw  all  the  dishes  out  of  the  wagon, 
breaking  all  but  one  plate  which  I  still  have.  They 
also  took  all  of  our  clothing.  While  they  were  de- 
stroying the  contents  of  the  wagon,  an  old  man 
named  Froid,  who  had  traveled  in  our  company, 
arrived  at  the  top  of  the  hill  and  saw  the  Indians.  He 
might  have  escaped  all  right  if  he  had  gone  back  him- 
self at  once,  but  he  ran  around  his  steers  to  drive 
them  back.  The  Indians  saw  him,  and  followed  him 
into  the  hills  about  a  mile  and  killed  hi-m. 

Just  before  my  sister  and  her  husband  reached 
the  ridge  they  were  met  by  two  men  who  had  been 
sent  out  to  guard  the  cattle.  These  men  said  that 
while  they  were  sitting  in  a  bunch  of  willows  eating 
their  dinner  the  Indians  came  out  of  the  canyon  and 
held  a  council  close  to  them.  One  of  the  men  had  a 
dog  with  him,  and  he  sat  and  held  its  mouth  to  pre- 
vent him  from  making  a  noise,  and  thus  they  escaped 
being  discovered.  These  men  informed  my  brother- 
in-law  that  the  Indians  had  made  a  raid  on  the  set- 
tlement. As  they  traveled  on  through  the  hills,  my 
sister  and  her  husband  found  the  body  of  the  old 
gentleman  Froid,  whom  the  Indians  had  killed. 
When  they  reached  the  top  of  the  hill  they  could 
see  our  wagon,  and  the  wounded  horse  lying  by  it; 
they  thought  we  had  been  killed.  We  being  hid  in  the 
willows  could  not  hear  my  sister  crying.  My  husband 
crawled  out  to  a  point  where  he  could  see  them.  And 
as  he  saw  four  persons  he  thought  the  two  men  were 
Indians  and  we  dared  not  go  to  them.  It  was  now 
getting  dark  and  we  had  remained  in  the  willows 
since  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  We  got  out  of 
the  willows  and  started  for  the  settlement  without 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  179 

following  the  wagon  road.  We  reached  our  home 
about  an  hour  after  my  sister  and  her  husband  ar- 
rived. 

It  was  late  in  the  evening;  we  were  both  bare- 
headed and  my  clothes  were  frozen  stiff  on  my  body. 
My  little  brother  had  gone  to  sleep. 

When  we  entered  the  house  it  was  full  of  peo- 
ple who  had  gathered  because  it  had  been  reported 
that  we  had  been  killed. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  our  meeting  was  a 
happy  one. 

Mads  Nielsen  died  in  Spring  City,  March  9th 
1899."  -Ellen  A.  Nielsen 

Sent  to  P.  Gottfredson,  April  15th,  1907. 

At  the  time  when  the  Indians  took  the  stock  at 
Circleville  they  killed  Hans  Christian  Hansen,  who 
was  about  a  mile  or  more  east  of  town  with  the  stock, 
and  Orson  Barney  and  Ole  Heilersen,  two  boys  thir- 
teen years  old,  who  were  out  searching  for  cows. 

DR.  J.  M.  WHITMORE  AND  R.  McINTYRE  KILLED 

AT  PIPE  SPRINGS.    BODIES  OF  WHITMORE 

AND  McINTYRE  FOUND. 

SEVEN  INDIANS  KILLED. 

According  to  a  statement  of  David  Chidester 
of  Venice,  Utah: 

Early  in  the  year  1866  the  Navajo  Indians  who 
were  on  the  Arizona  side  of  the  Colorado  River,  be- 
ing more  numerous  and  superior  than  the  Shevete 
Indians  who  inhabited  the  Utah  side  of  the  river, 
would  often  cross  over  and  compel  the  less  powerful 
tribe  to  do  their  bidding.  Frequently  iihey  also 
captured  and  made  slaves  of  some  of  them.  On  this 


180  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

certain  occasion  some  of  them  crossed  over  and  com- 
pelled the  Shevete's  who  were  camped  in  the  neigh- 
borhood to  assist  in  killing  Dr.  J.  M.  Whitmore  and 
his  hired  man,  Robert  Mclntyre,  and  drive  away 
their  sheep-herd  and  some  cattle.  This  took  place 
in  the  beginning  of  a  big  snow  storm.  When  Dr. 
Whitmore  and  his  hired  man  left  the  herd-house 
Whitmore  had  on  his  overcoat  and  carried  in  his 
pocket  two  twenty  dollar  gold  pieces.  The  Shevete 
Indians  secured  the  men's  clothing,  but  not  knowing 
the  value  of  money,  the  gold  pieces  were  later  re- 
covered. The  Navajoes  took  the  sheep  and  cattle 
over  the  river  and  they  were  never  recovered.  About 
the  20th  of  January,  1866,  a  company  of  armed  men 
from  St.  George  went  in  search  of  the  murdered  men. 
They  came  across  two  young  Indians  and  compelled 
them  to  assist  in  the  hunt.  They  acknowledged  hav- 
ing seen  the  killing,  but  claimed  they  had  no  hand  in 
it.  There  was  about  eighteen  inches  of  crusted  snow 
on  the  ground  and  the  bodies  were  covered  up.  The 
men  rode  forward  and  back,  four  abreast  and  fin- 
ally Colonel  Pierce 's  horse  stepped  over  the  body  of 
Dr.  Whitmore  and  uncovered  one  hand  which  was 
raised  above  the  body.  When  the  whites  informed 
the  Indians  that  one  of  the  murdered  men  had  been 
found,  one  asked  if  it  was  the  man  with  whiskers. 
When  answered  in  the  affirmative,  he  said :  the  other 
is  over  this  way,  they  followed  the  Indian  and  then 
found  Mclntyre 's  body.  There  was  a  camp  of  In- 
dians not  far  distant  and  Captain  Pierce,  with  some 
of  his  men,  went  there  and  found  the  murdered 
men's  clothing.  The  Indians  refused  to  be  taken 
prisoners  and  put  up  a  fight,  which  resulted  in  seven 
of  them  being  killed. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  181 

iiiiiiiiinii i  HIII  ii  ii  1 1  inn  M iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiini llllllillillllllllllllllllllitiiilllllilitiiiiiiiiiiiii 

GENERAL  SNOW  ARRESTS  A  CAMP  OF 
INDIANS  AT  NEPHI. 

On  Monday,  March  12th,  1866,  General  Warren 
S.  Snow  of  Manti  arrested  some  Indians  at  a  camp 
a  couple  of  miles  northeast  of  Nephi,  in  Juab  County. 
One  Indian  who  tried  to  escape,  was  shot  down ; 
four  others  were  tried  in  court  and  by  order  of  the 
chief  was  taken  out  of  town  and  shot  for  complicity 
in  several  raids.  Eight  others,  including  Chief  San- 
pitch,  were  taken  to  Manti  and  placed  in  jail.  Early 
in  April  the  ecclesiastical  and  military  authorities 
of  some  of  the  settlements  of  southern  Utah  asked 
for  assistance  from  neighboring  counties.  One  of 
the  first  to  respond  was  Iron  County,  which  sent 
twenty-four  men  with  teams  to  help  build  a  fort  on 
the  Sevier  River  for  the  protection  of  the  settlers. 
General  Daniel  H.  Wells  recognized  in  the  move- 
ments of  the  hostiles  the  indications  of  a  disastrous 
war  and  at  once  ordered  all  the  available  men  of  the 
three  counties,  Sanpete,  Sevier  and  Piute  to  be  mus- 
tered into  service  as  cavalry  and  infantry  and  or- 
ganized for  defense.  But  no  vigilance  was  equal  to 
the  task  of  defeating  the  designs  of  the  sleepless  foe, 
the  strength  of  whose  forces  was  now  increased  to 
over  three  hundred  warriors,  and  the  celerity  of 
whose  movements  defied  every  precaution. 

KILLING  OF  JOSEPH  AND  ROBERT  BERRY 

AND  WIFE  AS  STATED   BY 

J.  S.  ADAMS  AND  WIFE. 

Joseph  and  Robert  Berry  and  the  latter 's  wife 
Isabella  were  on  their  way  from  Spanish  Fork,  Utah 


182  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiimuiiiiiiiHiiinniniiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiininii 

County,  their  former  home,  to  Long  Valley,  April  2. 
1866.  When  at  Ezra  Strong's  place,  called  the 
Troughs,  in  Kane  County,  they  were  asked  to  stay 
a  few  days,  while  the  ranch  people  gathered  up  their 
stock,  getting  ready  to  leave  they  would  go  with  the 
Berrys  to  Long  Valley,  but  as  they  were  in  a  hurry 
they  did  not  stop. 

Arriving  at  Short  Creek,  William  Maxwell  and 
family  who  lived  there,  advised  them  to  stop,  as  they 
were  also  gathering  their  effects,  and  they  would  all 
go  in  together.  The  Berry's  declined  and  went  on, 
their  team  consisting  of  a  good  pair  of  horses  and  a 
light  wagon.  They  also  had  a  plow  and  a  few  farm 
implements  with  them,  and  such  supplies  as  they 
would  need  at  their  new  home.  When  at  the  Cedar 
RIdgc,  two  or  three  miles  from  Short  Creek,  they 
were  attacked  by  Indians  from  the  cedars  and  killed. 
When  the  bodies  were  subsequently  found  it  appear- 
ed that  Joseph  Berry  had  been  wounded  in  the  leg,  as 
a  towel  was  wrapped  around  it.  the  travelers  had  un- 
doubtedly turned  and  driven  back  towards  Short 
Creek,  and  had  gone  as  far  as  the  Big  Sand  Wash, 
where  they  were  again  attacked.  It  also  appeared 
that  one  of  the  horses  had  been  shot  in  the  shoulder 
with  an  arrow,  as  the  collar  was  found  with  an  arrow 
point  sticking  through  it  about  an  inch  and  a  half, 
which  crippled  the  horse  so  that  he  was  unable  to 
pull;  the  other  horse  had  cramped  the  wagon  and 
there  they  had  all  been  killed  and  their  horses  taken 
by  the  savages. 

When  found,  Robert  Berry  was  tied  to  the  front 
wheel  of  the  wagon  with  his  face  out,  and  was  shot 
full  of  holes ;  Joseph  was  found  a  short  distance  from 
the  wagon.  Robert  Berry's  wife  lay  across  the 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  183 

wagon  tongue  face  up  and  stripped;  she  had  been 
outraged  and  horribly  mutilated.  The  people  from 
the  troughs  and  Short  Creek  passed  with  their 
sheep,  cattle  and  effects,  without  seeing  them  or  their 
wagon,  as  they  were  some  distance  from  the  wagon 
road.  When  they  arrived  at  Long  Valley,  they  in- 
quired as  to  when  the  Berry's  got  there,  and  were 
informed  that  they  were  not  there.  The  two  brothers 
with  some  others  from  Long  Valley  then  went  in 
search  of  them;  when  they  found  the  wagon  and 
place  where  they  had  been  killed,  the  bodies  were 
not  there.  They  were  murdered  below  Maxwell's 
ranch  and  Berryville.  Each  had  two  pistols.  They 
also  had  a  double  barrel  shot-gun.  Some  men  who 
had  been  hunting  stock  had  found  them  and  taken 
them  to  Grafton  and  buried  them  there ;  consequent- 
ly the  brothers  did  not  get  to  see  them. 

About  two  weeks  later  a  number  of  men  from 
St.  George  and  vicinity  under  Colonel  J.  D.  L.  Pierce 
went  to  Long  Valley  to  assist  in  moving  the  people 
out.  When  they  moved  there  were  from  one  to  three 
families  to  each  wagon.  One  Indian  was  found  dead 
near  the  place  where  the  Berrys  had  been  killed ;  it 
appeared  to  be  an  old  Indian  judging  from  the  long 
gray  hair  shown  to  the  people  as  they  passed. 

REMOVAL   FROM   LONG  VALLEY,  REPORT 
BY  MRS.  J.  D.  L.  PIERCE. 

In  the  spring  of  1866,  Brother  Erastus  Snow 
called  a  council  of  his  officers  and  men,  to  arrange 
for  calling  the  outside  people  in,  as  the  Navajoes  had 
become  very  troublesome.  Brother  Snow  said  to 
Brother  Pierce,  "Brother  John,  if  you  will  select  a 


184  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiti 

man  to  take  command,  you  may  stay  at  home  this 
trip  and  put  in  your  crops,  as  you  have  had  such  a 
strenuous  winter. ' '  Brother  Branch  was  chosen  for 
the  position  and  he  selected  Elroy  Barney,  Tom 
Pierce,  Jesse  Crosby  and  several  others  to  go  with 
him.  I  think  about  twelve  men  altogether — the  best 
young  men  in  the  country.  They  were  to  start  from 
the  public  square  in  St.  George.  Father  went  down 
to  see  them  off.  Brother  Snow  of  course  was  there 
to  see  that  all  was  to  his  liking ;  he  did  not  seem  satis- 
fied and  said  to  father,  * '  Brother  John,  this  is  going 
to  be  a  very  critical  trip  and  you  have  to  move  the 
people  out  of  Long  Valley;  I  had  much  rather  you 
would  go,  and  I  want  you  to  bring  the  women  and 
children,  whether  the  men  come  or  not. ' '  Father,  an- 
swering, said:  "All  right,  but  I  have  no  horse." 
Brother  Branch  got  off  his  horse  and  turned  it  over 
to  father  who  wrote  a  note  to  me,  saying  ' 1 1  must  go 
and  do  my  duty,  you  do  the  best  you  can,  and  God 
bless  you."  With  this  he  was  gone.  He  had  no 
trouble,  however,  in  getting  the  men  out  of  Long 
Valley  as  they  were  glad  to  have  help.  There  were 
about  twenty  wagons,  and  some  cattle  and  horses. 
They  had  a  very  serious  trip,  however,  one  small  boy 
was  run  over  and  killed,  and  they  had  to  stop  and 
bury  him ;  one  babe  was  born  on  the  journey.  They 
traveled  at  night  to  avoid  the  Indians.  In  coming 
down  a  long,  hard  canyon,  father  stationed  a  part  of 
them  at  the  back  of  the  outfit,  himself  and  the  rest 
in  advance,  always  on  the  alert.  Father's  keen  ear 
heard  the  chirrup  of  a  bird.  He  suspicioned  Indians 
and  shouted  for  him  to  come  out  of  the  brush,  or  he 
would  shoot.  Mr.  Indian  came  out  with  a  piece  of 
paper,  saying,  it  was  a  letter.  Father  told  him  to  call 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  185 

Illllllllllltl IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll 

to  his  friends  and  tell  them  to  go  away,  or  he  would 
shoot  him  without  any  further  talk;  one  other  In- 
dian came  out.  They  seized  both  of  them,  tied  their 
hands  behind  them  and  marched  them  in  front  of 
the  company  until  morning,  when  they  had  reached 
a  good  road  in  an  open  country.  They  then  bound 
the  Indians  over  to  keep  the  peace  and  turned  them 
loose.  These  Indians  were  two  of  the  meanest  sav- 
ages in  that  country  at  the  time ;  the  rest  of  the  trip 
was  uneventful. 

On  receiving  the  report  of  the  trip  Brother  Snow 
he  was  pretty  well  acquainted  with  Indian  history, 
but  that  move  out  of  Long  Valley  was  the  best  plann- 
ed, and  showed  the  best  generalship  of  any  he  had 
heard  of." 

RAID  ON  SALINA,  THREE  TEAMS  ATTACKED, 

COW  HERD  TAKEN,  HERDER 

KILLED. 

.Black  Hawk  with  thirty  mounted  iollowers  in- 
tercepted three  teams  from  Glenwood  Sevier  Coun- 
ty, April  13,  1866,  about  a  mile  north  of  Salina,  on 
their  way  to  the  States  after  emigrants.  They  were 
Seth  Wareham,  Joseph  Herring  and  John  Wasden ; 
The  teamsters  escaped  and  got  to  Salina,  but  their 
teams,  consisting  of  nine  yoke  of  oxen,  were  taken  by 
the  Indians  and  the  things  in  their  wagons  either 
carried  away  or  demolished. 

A  sheep  herder  from  Fairview,  Sanpete  County 
named  Johnson  was  killed  in  the  foot  hills  northeast 
of  Salina  town.  Emil  Nielsen  of  Salina  says,  "I  was 
helping  to  herd  the  Salina  cow-herd  while  the  men 
were  employed  building  a  fort.  We  were  on  the  west 


186  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

side  of  the  Sevier  River  northwest  of  town  distant 
about  two  miles,  near  the  old  wagon  Ford.  My  bro- 
ther, older  than  I,  was  with  me.  We  had  been  talking 
about  Indians  and  he  said  that  if  the  Indians  came 
after  him  he  would  run  and  jump  into  the  river.  We 
saw  the  Indians  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  but  did 
not  know  they  were  Indians ;  they  had  attacked  the 
three  teams  from  Glenwood  just  before  iwe  saw 
them.  They  came  over  the  river  after  the  cow-herd. 
When  we  saw  the  Indians  coming,  Chris,  my  brother, 
ran  to  the  river  and  was  evidently  killed  there  in  the 
river  as  he  was  never  found,  but  one  foot  with  the 
shoe  on  was  found  down  the  river  during  the  sum- 
mer. An  Indian  came  after  me  and  shot  at  me  with 
arrows;  the  first  arrow  hit  my  right  arm,  and  the 
next  went  into  my  left  side.  I  was  running  and  fell. 
The  Indian  then  took  off  my  hat  and  shot  an  arrow 
into  my  head  and  pulled  it  out  three  times.  I  thought 
if  I  could  make  the  Indians  think  I  was  dead,  he 
might  leave  me,  and  as  I  did  not  flinch  when  he  shot 
me  in  the  head,  he  evidently  left  me  for  dead.  I  lay 
there  from  about  ten  o  'clock  in  the  morning  till  near 
sundown.  I  dared  not  get  up,  fearing  that  the  In- 
dians might  be  near  and  see  me  and  come  and  finish 
me.  When  I  got  up,  I  went  to  look  for  my  brother, 
but  could  not  find  him.  I  then  waded  the  river,  the 
water  being  above  my  waist,  and  I  started  for  home. 
On  the  way  I  met  a  man  by  the  name  of  Hansen,  and 
when  I  reached  the  edge  of  town,  I  met  my  father, 
who  picked  me  up  and  carried  me  home.  I  carried 
the  arrow  spike  in  my  side  for  two  weeks  before  it 
could  be  taken  out.  The  old  doctor  lady,  Maria  Snow, 
of  Manti,  put  poultices  on  the  wounds  and  it  drew  out 
the  spike.  I  was  eleven  years  old. 


INDIAN  DEPKEDATIONS  187 


immiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiimi 


The  Indians  on  that  occasion  got  away  with  two 
hundred  head  of  stock. 

Emil  Nielsen  was  a  respected  citizen  of  Salina 
Utah,  till  December  1917,  when  he  died  at  Salina. 

INDIANS  AT  MANTI  BROKE  JAIL,  THREE 
INDIANS  KILLED,  FIVE  ESCAPE. 

Chief  Sanpitch,  who  had  been  so  reluctant  to 
sign  the  treaty  drawn  up  and  presented  to  his  fellow 
chieftains  at  Spanish  Fork  on  June  8th  of  the  pre- 
vious year,  1865,  was  quick  to  violate  his  pledge 
when  opportunity  offered  and  when  Black  Hawk's 
successes  proved  sufficient  to  seduce  him  from  his  al- 
legiance, he  joined  in  some  of  the  depredations  plan- 
ned by  the  renegade  chiefs,  though  not  with  the 
latter 's  good  fortune  for  he  was  one  of  those  taken 
prisoner  at  Nephi  on  April  12th.  Sanpitch  and  the 
other  Indian  prisoners  at  Manti  broke  jail,  April 
14,  1866.  From  Wm.  A.  Cox  of  Manti  we  learn  the 
following:  The  Indians  broke  out  of  the  jail  late  in 
the  evening,  and  five  of  them  got  away.  Andrew 
Van  Buren  and  an  Indian  by  the  name  of  Aukewakets 
ran  over  a  pile  of  rocks  and  leaped  over  a  fence.  As 
they  ran  over  the  rock  pile  each  stooped  and  picked 
up  a  good  sized  rock  raised  up  ready  to  strike.  Van- 
Buren  being  a  little  the  quickest  brought  the  Indian 
to  his  knees,  and  then  took  an  old  jack  knife  with  a 
broken  backspring  from  his  pocket,  after  which  he 
and  the  Indian  clutched  each  other  by  the  throat. 
Van  Buren  succeeded  in  opening  the  knife  with  one 
hand  and  his  teeth  and  cut  the  Indian's  throat. 

When  W.  A.  Cox  in  the  darkness  of  the  night 
passed  the  end  of  a  pile  of  fence  posts,  he  thought 


188  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

•rMlllllllllllimlmlmlimilimlllllmilllllllllllMllllllllllllllllllllllmlmmmlllllllllllllllllMIIIIIIIIUIIIIlllll 

he  saw  something  move  under  the  end  of  the  posts ;  he 
kicked  under  and  an  Indian  jumpem  up  with  a  loud 
"wah."  Cox  stepped  back  and  with  his  revolver 
shot  the  Indian  in  the  bowels.  The  Indian  coming  at 
him  he  fired  again  and  shot  the  savage  in  the  breast. 
When  Warren  Snow  passed  a  shed  that  night  an 
Indian  came  out  after  him.  Brother  Snow  heard  him, 
but  it  was  so  dark  he  could  not  see  him;  he  struck 
the  Indian  with  his  gun,  breaking  the  stock,  but  kill- 
ed the  redskin. 

CHIEF  SANPITCH  KILLED  NEAR  MORONI, 
SANPETE  COUNTY. 

Five  Indians,  including  Sanpitch,  got  away  and 
made  for  the  west  mountain ;  a  posse  went  in  pursuit 
and  on  the  18th  of  the  month  Chief  Sanpitch  was 
found  hiding  in  Birch  Canyon,  between  Moroni  and 
Fountain  Green  and  was  killed.  The  other  four 
were  tracked  into  the  mountains  between  Fountain 
Green  and  Nephi,  south  of  Salt  Creek  Canyon.  On 
the  19th,  Amasa  and  George  Tucker  and  Dolph  Ben- 
nett struck  their  tracks  on  the  side  of  the  mountain, 
where  some  men  from  Moroni  joined  them,  and  they 
followed  the  trail  nearly  to  the  top  of  the  moun- 
tain where  they  overtook  and  killed  three  of  them. 
They  followed  the  track  of  the  other  one,  whose 
name  was  Tackwitch,  over  the  mountain  and  clown 
some  distance.  Bennett  stopped  and  sat  down  while 
the  others  followed  the  tracks.  The  Indian  doub- 
led on  his  tracks  and  came  back  to  a  point  near 
where  Bennett  was  seated  and  crawled  into  a 
patch  of  oak  brush  where  he  covered  him-self  up  with 
leaves.  Bennett  saw  him,  and  when  the  men  missed 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS         189 

III  III  I Illllllllllllllllllllllll MIIII1MI lltlttltlllllllll Illll  III!  Illl Illlll IIIIIIIIIMIII. 

his  tracks  they  came  back.  Bennett  motioned  to  his 
comrades  pointing  out  where  the  Indian  was  hidden. 
At  once  they  surrounded  the  place  and  one  of  the 
men  shot  and  wounded  the  Indian  who  jumped  up 
and  came  at  Bennett  with  a  large  butcher  knife. 
Bennett  emptied  his  revolver  at  him  without  bring- 
ing him  down  or  stopping  him.  When  within  a  few 
feet  Bennett  threw  his  pistol  hitting  the  Indian  on 
the  temple  and  knocking  him  down.  The  Indian  had 
no  more  than  struck  the  ground  when  Bennett  was 
on  top  of  him,  wrenched  the  knife  from  his  hand  and 
cut  his  throat.  This  finished  the  jailbreakers. 

TOWN  OF  SALINA  VACATED  AFTER  LOSING 
MOST  OF  THEIR  STOCK. 

On  account  of  the  exposed  condition  of  the  town 
of  Salina,  and  the  people  having  lost  practically  all 
their  stock  that  place  was  abandoned  by  its  inhabi- 
tants April  21,  1866 ;  most  of  them  going  into  San- 
pete  County. 

From  Whitney's  History  of  Utah  we  glean  the 
the  following:  Two  men  who  had  been  engaged  in 
strengthening  Fort  Sanford  on  the  Sevier  in  Piute 
County,  had  an  engagement  with,  two  Indians  be- 
longing to  Black  Hawk's  band,  April  22,  1866.  One 
of  the  latter  was  wounded  and  the  other  killed. 
Hakes  received  a  severe  gunshot  wound  in  the 
shoulder.  Immediately  afterwards,  a  number  of 
Piedes  who  were  camped  near  the  Fort  gave  up  their 
arms  and  approached  the  settlers  with  overtures  of 
peace.  This  offer  being  accepted,  the  settlers  at 
another  point,  thinking  the  movement  genuine  and 
general,  visited  a  neighboring  Indian  camp  to  induce 


190  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


IIHIIIIIIIIIIIIII 


a  cessation  of  hostilities,  only  to  receive  a  volley  of 
arrows,  slightly  wounding  several  of  their  number; 
they  returned  the  fire  with  their  muskets  killing 
two  and  capturing  two  of  the  Indians  and  putting 
the  rest  to  flight. 

ORGANIZATION    OF    THE    PANGUITCH    MILITIA. 

SKIRMISH  AT  FORT  SANFORD. 

JOHN  BUTLER  WOUNDED. 

Written  by  John  Louder,  of  Parowan, 

Iron  County,  Utah. 

An  election  was  held  March  21st,  1865.  Colonel 
George  A.  Smith  was  present.  My  name  was  pro- 
posed for  Captain  and  I  was  elected.  This  position 
I  held  until  Panguitch  was  vacated.  Previous  to 
this,  I  had  raised  an  independent  company  of  twen- 
ty-five men,  called  Minute  Men  of  which  I  was  cap- 
tain. A  stockade  was  built  about  six  miles  below 
Panguitch,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Sevier  River 
called  "Fort  Sanford,"  opposite  to  what  is — and 
was  known  as  Lender's  Springs.  I  had  gone  up  to 
the  stockade  on  a  visit,  April  22nd,  1866,  and  while 
there  we  noticed  two  Indians  coming  up  on  the  west 
side  of  the  river.  They  fired  at  some  ducks.  We 
had  orders  to  take  in  all  the  straggling  Indians  in 
the  vicinity;  and  our  doing  so  was  the  cause  which 
led  up  to  the  shooting  of  William  M.  West.  Mr. 
West  took  my  horse  while  Collins  B.  Hakes  took 
another,  and  both  rode  across  the  river  to  inter- 
cept the  Indians  and  bring  them  to  the  stockade. 
The  Indians  objected,  and  said  they  were  on  an  ex- 
press from  Black  Hawk  and  they  wanted  to  see  Lou- 
der ;  the  men  told  them  that  Louder  was  over  at  the 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  191 

stockade.  They  undertook  to  pass  the  men,  when 
West  rode  in  front  of  them,  and  as  he  did  so,  one  of 
the  Indians  caught  West's  horse  by  the  bit  and  held 
it,  and  the  other  Indian  fired  at  West,  hitting  him 
in  the  shoulder.  Then  a  skirmish  ensued  between 
Hakes  and  one  of  the  Indians,  but  their  guns  failed 
to  respond  and  no  damage  resulted ;  Hakes '  gun  was 
a  cartridge -make,  and  the  Indians  a  muzzle-loader. 
Later  in  the  contest,  Hakes  got  the  advantage  of 
his  opponent  and  made  a  good  Indian  of  him.  By 
this  time  I  procured  another  horse,  and  made  my 
way  across  the  country  to  the  scene  of  the  trouble, 
shooting  at  the  other  Indian,  and  wounding  him  in 
the  shoulder;  in  this  condition  he  escaped  from  me. 
I  followed  him  about  four  miles  and  left  him  in  some 
large  boulders.  Here  dusk  came  on,  and  as  my  horse 
was  a  broncho,  I  decided  to  tie  him  up  and 
continue  on  foot.  I  finally  came  back,  got  my  horse 
and  went  to  the  fort. 

The  next  day  my  father  and  two  or  three  other 
men  trailed  the  same  Indian  to  a  place  where  some 
other  Indians  had  found  him  and  helped  him  away. 
Here,  however,  they  found  his  gun;  the  evidence 
showed  that  he  had  snapped  as  many  as  fifty  caps 
at  me.  Noticing  this,  the  men  thought  there  must 
be  some  defect  in  the  gun;  one  of  them  tested  it 
and  to  their  astonishment  it  went  off  alright. 

The  Indian  killed  at  Louder 's  Spring  was  call- 
ed Santick;  name  of  the  other  Sanford  Indian  was 
Shegump.  Both  were  on  express  from  Black  Hawk 's 
band. 

The  next  day  after  the  fracus  at  Louder 's  Spring 
Major  Silas  S.  Smith  ordered  me  to  go  up  to  the  In- 
dian camp  above  Panguitch  and  take  the  Indians 


192  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

camped  there  prisoners,  bring  them  to  Panguitch 
and  hold  them  until  I  received  further  orders.  The 
order  was  issued  by  General  George  A.  Smith.  Ac- 
cordingly I,  with  six  men  who  were  sent  to 
me,  and  seven  or  eight  others,  marched  to  Pan- 
guitch. On  approaching  the  Indian  camp  we 
thought  it  best  to  divide  the  party,  so  as  not  to  ex- 
cite the  Indians.  We  did  so,  coming  in  at  intervals. 
Old  Doctor  Bill,  one  of  the  occupants  of  the  camp, 
became  very  excited  when  I  asked  for  their  guns, 
and  began  looking  around  for  his  gun,  which  was 
found  sticking  in  some  brush,  in  the  back  end  of  the 
wigwam.  At  this  juncture  another  Indian  came  in 
with  his  gun  in  his  hand.  Coming  up  to  me,  he  pre- 
tended to  hand  it  to  me,  but  in  doing  so,  held  the  gun 
in  such  a  manner  that  he  turned  the  muzzle  towards 
me.  I  caught  the  gun  in  my  left  hand  and  hurried 
off  on  my  horse.  By  this  time  James  Butler,  one 
of  my  men,  had  been  shot  by  Doctor  Bill  with  an  ar- 
row in  the  side.  The  other  men  began  firing  at 
old  Bill,  severing  three  fingers  from  his  hand  with 
which  he  was  drawing  another  arrow.  When  But- 
ler saw  me  and  the  Red  Lake  Indian  scuffling  he 
came  to  me  with  the  arrow  sticking  in  his  side,  and 
with  his  double  barrel  gun  shot  and  killed  him.  I 
then  son!  John  L.  But'or  down  t"-  Panguit(  ft  after  a 
vehicle  to  take  James  Butler,  the  wounded  man,  to 
town  where  he  could  have  his  wounds  dressed.  Dur- 
ing the  absence  of  the  Butlers,  the  rest  of  the  men 
guarded  the  prisoners.  We  kept  them  for  a  consi- 
derable length  of  time,  until  we  received  orders  from 
Colonel  Dame  to  liberate  them,  and  they  were  con- 
sequently turned  loose.  The  following  day  after 
the  trouble  at  the  camp  where  we  arrested  the  In- 


PRESIDENT    ANTHON     H.  ,  LUND 
First    Telegraph    Operator    at    Mt.    Pleasant,    Utah 
Lieutenant,     Capt.     Frederick     Neilsen's     Infantry 
Company. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  193 


dians,  we  buried  those  that  had  been  killed. 

Written  at  Parowan  April  24th,  1914,  by  Cap- 
tain John  Louder  of  Parowan,  Iron  County,  Utah, 
on  his  79th  birthday. 

Copied  by  Peter  Gottfredson. 

AMBUSCADE  AT  MARYSVALE,  A.  LEWIS  AND 
C.  CHRISTENSEN  KILLED. 

On  the  night  of  April  21,  1866,  Walter  Barney 
and  Sidney  Wilson  were  on  guard  at  the  public  cor- 
ral at  Monroe,  where  most  of  their  stock  was  en- 
closed. When  on  their  usual  rounds  about  midnight 
they  saw  a  dark  object  lying  by  the  fence.  Think- 
ing it  was  an  animal  that  had  been  left  out  they 
went  to  put  it  in  the  corral ;  but  when  within  two  rods 
of  the  object  seen,  two  Indians  jumped  up  and  ran 
away.  The  guard  shot  at  them  with  their  revolvers. 
The  Indians  had  been  trying  to  dig  out  some  pick- 
ets with  their  butcher  knives  in  order  to  make  an 
opening  to  let  out  the  stock.  Leaving  the  town  going 
in  a  south-westerly  direction  they  stopped  at  An- 
drew Rasmus  sen's  corral  and  commenced  shooting 
his  cows,  oxen,  pigs  and  sheep  with  arrows;  they 
carried  away  one  sheep  and  dressed  it  at  the  head 
of  the  ditch  where  they  left  a  butcher  knife.  Early 
the  next  morning  messengers  were  sent  to  Richfield 
and  Glenwood  with  the  report.  A  company  was  im- 
mediately formed  of  men  from  Glenwood,  Richfield 
and  Monroe,  with  Dr.  Elias  Pierson  of  Glenwood  in 
command.  The  company  numbering  twenty-one 
men  left  Monroe  about  midnight.  The  moon  was 
shining  brightly  and  they  could  see  the  tracks  of 
the  Indians  in  the  road  where  they  had  dragged  their 


194  INDIAN  DEPKEDATIONS 

IHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItlllllllllllllllllllllltllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllimilllllllllllllllllllllllHIIHII 

lariats,  as  was  their  custom.  When  the  company  got 
down  to  the  Sevier  Eiver  they  saw  a  lot  of  cattle  in 
the  bottoms,  and  the  appearances  were  to  the  effect 
that  they  had  been  gathered  together  by  the  Indians, 
convenient  to  be  driven  off.  Having  reached  this 
place  John  Wilkenson  said  to  Chris.  Christensen, 
with  whom  he  was  riding,  "If  I  were  in  command  I 
would  stop  right  here  among  the  cattle,  and  hold  our 
horses  till  morning;  it  will  only  be  an  hour  or  two; 
and  if  the  Indians  come  after  the  stock,  we  would  be 
prepared  for  them."  Shortly  before  getting  to  the 
ford  of  the  river  Captain  Pierson  called  a  halt  and 
instructed  the  boys  to  keep  together  and  not  talk 
loud,  nor  make  any  noise,  and  when  in  the  river  let 
their  horses  drink  and  proceed  quietly  up  to  the 
fort,  which  was  about  a  mile  distant. 

When  they  had  gone  about  twenty-five  yards 
from  the  fort  they  came  to  a  stake  and  rider  fence 
with  large  rabbit  brush  along  by  it,  where  the  In- 
dians were  concealed,  no  doubt  intending  to  make  a 
break  on  the  little  fort  early  in  the  morning.  They 
permitted  the  boys  to  pass  but  opened  fire  in  their 
back,  hitting  and  killing  Albert  Lewis  instantly;  he 
fell  off  his  horse  exclaiming,  "Oh  my  God."  Chris- 
tian Christensen  who  was  riding  beside  Wilkensen 
was  mortally  wounded;  the  ball  fired  by  the  Indian 
struck  the  handle  of  his  pistol >  driving  part  of  it  and 
the  bullet  into  his  bowels.  He  exclaimed,  "Oh,  I  am 
shot."  Wilkinson  asked  if  he  was  wounded  badly. 
He  answered,  "Yes,  feel."  Christensen  wanted  to 
get  off  his  horse,  but  Wilkenson  said  "Let  us  re- 
treat back  in  the  brush."  The  Indians  fired  up  the 
line,  wounding  James  Mortensen  and  John  Peter- 
sen.  The  company  rode  up  to  the  Fort,  leaving 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  195 

Wilkenson  with  the  dead  and  wounded  men.  Shortly- 
Major  Allred  and  Peter  Christensen  ( Christensen 's 
brother-in-law)  returned  and  Wilkinson  and  Allred 
then  formed  a  chair  by  crossing  their  hands  (one 
man  holding  the  wrist  of  the  other)  and  carried 
the  wounded  man  up  to  the  fort  while  Peter  led  the 
horses.  Lewis  was  left  where  he  fell  till  morning, 
which  was  not  long.  The  Indians  took  the  cattle 
and  drove  them  up  the  Valley  southward.  The  com- 
pany followed  and  when  up  five  or  six  miles  they 
saw  the  Indians  driving  the  stock  up  what  they 
called  Eock  Canyon  across  the  valley  eastward.  It 
was  probably  the  east  fork  of  the  Sevier  river. 
There,  on  a  ridge,  they  met  about  forty  men  from 
Circleville.  Next  a  council  was  held  to  decide  whe- 
ther the  men  should  follow  the  Indians  into  the 
mountains  and  try  to  recover  the  stock,  or  turn  back. 
They  decided  on  the  latter  course,  the  Circleville 
people  going  home  and  the  others  returning  to  the 
the  Vale  (Marysvale).  Obtaining  a  light  wagon  of 
James  Monson,  they  wrapper  Lewis's  body  in  a 
quilt  and  brought  it  home. 

Next  day  Major  Claus  Peter  Andersen  with 
three  or  four  men  secured  a  pair  of  large  mules  and 
a  light  wagon  from  John  Reidhead  and  went  after 
the  wounded  men.  Christian  Christensen  lived  21 
days.  He  was  married  to  his  betrothed,  Nicoline 
Bertelsen  on  his  death-bed. 

The  killed  and  wounded  were  all  residents  of 
Richfield.  Both  Lewis  and  Christensen  were  buried 
in  the  old  Richfield  cemetery. 

On  May  1st,  1866,  President  Brigham  Young 
issued  orders  for  the  people  in  the  outlying  settle- 
ments to  move  together  in  companies  of  not  less  than 


196  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

one  hundred  and  fifty  in  each  as  a  means  of  safety 
and  protection. 

THOMAS  JONES  KILLED  AND  WM.  AVERY 

WOUNDED  AT  FAIRVIEW. 

PRESIDENT    YOUNG    ADVISES    THE    PEOPLE    TO 
MOVE  TOGETHER. 

While  on  picket  guard  near  Fairview,  Sanpete 
County,  a  Thomas  Jones  was  killed  and  William 
Avery  wounded,  April  29,  1866.  Hyrum  Wilson  was 
with  them,  sitting  down  engaged  in  reading,  while 
the  others  were  exercising  themselves  by  jumping. 
Wilson  got  Avery  on  a  horse  and  took  him  to  where 
he  thought  him  safe  and  there  let  him  down  where- 
upon he  rode  to  town  and  reported.  . 

Elias  Cox,  Wm.  Zabriskie  and  some  others  went 
in  pursuit  of  the  Indians;  they  saw  the  murderers 
but  did  not  overtake  them. 

Colonel  Reddick  Allred  records  the  following 
in  his  journal :  ' '  The  people  in  Sanpete  had  a  Co-op 
herd  of  stock  in  Thistle  Valley  in  charge  of  Noah 
T.  Guyman  who  camped  there  in  the  valley  together 
with  his  family.  The  Indians  made  a  raid  on  Fair- 
view  killing  one  man  and  wounding  another.  Fear- 
ing for  the  safety  of  the  herd  and  family  with  it,  I 
went  into  the  valley  with  a  company  in  the  night,  it 
being  so  dark  that  we  could  not  see  the  man  next 
to  us  in  line.  Thomas  Coates  of  Mount  Pleasant  pi- 
loted us  safely  through;  we  found  the  family  and 
stock  safe  and  moved  all  into  the  settlement  next 
day  find  delivered  them  to  President  J.  A.  Allred. 
The  following  day  (May  1st)  President  Brigham 
Young  issued  instructions  to  the  people  in  Sanpete, 
Sevier  and  Piute  Counties  to  move  together,  in  bod- 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  197 

ies  of  not  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  arm 
themselves  well,  and  protect  themselves  and  their 
stock.  The  people  in  the  small  settlements  in  Piute 
County  moved  to  Circleville,  those  at  Monroe  and 
Glenwood  in  Sevier  County  to  Richfied,  those  at 
Fayette,  Sanpete  County  to  Gunnison,  those  at 
Fairview,  Sanpete  to  Mount  Pleasant  and  those  at 
Fountain  Green  and  Wales  to  Moroni  in  Sanpete 
County. 

DODGE  SENDS  WORD  TO   CALL 
OUT  THE  MILITIA. 

On  May  2nd,  1866,  General  Dodge  sent  a  com- 
munication to  Colonel  Potter,  Superintendent  of  In- 
dian affairs  to  the  effect  that  he  would  have  to  de- 
pend for  the  present  on  the  militia  to  compell  the 
Indians  to  behave.  Before  the  message  had  been 
comunicated  to  him,  Colonel  Heath,  in  company  with 
Governor  Durkee  had  paid  a  visit  to  the  Indians  at 
Corn  Creek,  Millard  County,  and  succeeded  in  ob- 
taining from  them  renewed  assurance  of  peace.  He 
also  visited  the  Uintah  reservation,  to  which  some 
of  the  Indians  had  by  this  time  removed.  His  ar- 
rival appears  to  have  been  very  timely,  for  Tabby 
and  his  braves  were  about  to  join  the  notorious  Black 
Hawk  in  his  raids  upon  the  southern  settlements. 
The  visit  also  resulted  in  holding  the  reservation 
Indians  to  their  neutrality. 

Franklin  H.  Heath  of  Wisconsin  had  succeeded 
Colonel  Irish  as  Indian  Superintendent.  He  had 
acted  for  some  time  as  private  secretary  to  Gover- 
nor Durkee,  and  was  confirmed  as  Superintendent 
of  Indian  affairs  in  March,  1866.  Like  his  predeces- 
sor, Colonel  Heath  was  an  energetic  official. 


198  INDIAN  DEPKEDATIONS 

The  spring  of  1866  found  the  military  spirit  at 
its  highest  pitch.  Division,  brigade  and  regimental 
musters  and  elections  were  held  in  almost  every 
county  in  Utah  and  reorganization  of  the  entire 
militia  in  Utah  was  effected.  Among  the  promo- 
tions and  changes  occurring  about  this  time  may 
be  mentioned  the  election  of  Brigadier-General  Brig- 
ham  Young,  Jr.  of  Salt  Lake  County,  Brigadier- 
General  Lot  Smith  of  Davis  County,  Major-General 
Aaron  Johnson,  and  Brigadier-General  Wm.  B. 
Pace  and  Albert  K.  Thurber  of  Utah  County.  The 
interest  manifested  on  these  occasions  explains  the 
readiness  with  which  the  people  responded  to  the 
call  to  arms  and  the  efficiency  of  the  service  ren- 
dered in  the  Indian  campaign  of  1866. 

The  earliest  calls  upon  the  northern  counties  had 
not  been  for  armed  assistance  to  chastise  the  rene- 
gades and  wreck  vengence  upon  them,  but  for  men 
to  aid  the  settlers  in  pro  tecting  themselves  and  their 
stock  until  they  could  reach  places  of  safety;  but 
the  increasing  boldness  of  the  marauders  rendered 
decisive  action  necessary.  The  entire  abandonment 
of  the  southern  counties,  to  be  followed  by  a  general 
Indian  war,  seemed  to  be  the  only  alternative.  Steps 
were  accordingly  taken  to  place  the  settlements  south 
and  east  of  Salt  Lake  City  in  a  state  of  defense,  and 
troops  were  ordered  to  the  scene  of  hostilities.  By 
the  1st  of  May,  1866,  several  companies  from  Davis, 
Salt  Lake  and  Utah  counties  were  on  the  march,  and 
on  arriving  in  Sanpete  county  they  reported  to  Bri- 
gadier-General Warren  S.  Snow.  A  company  of 
cavalry  from  Salt  Lake  City  under  Colonel  Heber 
P.  Kimball  and  Major  John  Clark,  reached  Manti 
on  the  5th  of  May,  and  was  ordered  to  march  up  the 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  199 

urn  m  i nun i ii  ilium mi u iiiiiiimiiii in 1111 nil 

Sevier  river  and  assist  the  settlers  in  moving  into 
Sanpete  Valley.  These  men  displayed  great  energy 
and  succeeded  in  delivering  the  exposed  settlers, 
after  which  for  a  short  time  they  were  stationed  at 
Fountain  Green. 

KIMBALL'S  AND  CONOVER'S  COMMANDS 
ARRIVE  AT  MANTI. 

Kimball's  and  Conover's  Companies  arrived 
at  Manti,  May  6th,  1866  and  about  the  10th 
a  company  of  cavalry  (A.  G.  Conover,  captain) 
reached  the  scene  of  hostilities  (from  Utah  county) 
and  were  ordered  to  occupy  a  picket  post  on  the  Se- 
ner  river  near  the  abandoned  town  of  Salina,  un- 
der command  of  Brigadier-General  William  B.  Pace. 

CHRISTIAN  LARSEN,  A  HERDER  KILLED 
ON  SPANISH  FORK  BENCH. 

On  the  16th  of  May  a  party  of  ten  Indians  swoop- 
ed down  from  the  mountains  near  Spanish.  Fork  and 
killed  Christian  Larsen  who  was  herding  cows  on 
the  bench ;  they  also  made  off  with  nearly  two  hun- 
dred head  of  horses  from  the  vicinity.  Earlier  in  the 
month  a  raid  was  made  upon  the  horse  herd  of 
friendly  Indians  at  Corn  Creek,  Millard  County. 
The  thieves  were  pursued  for  several  days  by  Kan- 
osh  and  some  members  of  his  band,  but  were  not 
overtaken. 

Iron,  Kane  and  Millard  and  all  the  counties 
south  had  their  own  troubles,  yet  eavi  of  them  sont 
aid  ino  Sanpete  anl  Sevier  counties.  The  most  north- 
erly point  to  send  such  assistance  was  Davis  Coun- 
ty, where  early  in  July  Brigadier-General  Lot  Smith 


200  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

mustered  a  company  of  cavalry  under  Captain  Big- 
ler  for  ninety  days  service;  and  as  late  as  October 
Captain  Robert  W.  (Davis  and  company  from  Kays- 
ville  started  for  the  Sevier.  About  the  end  of  July 
Major-General  Burton  organized  another  company 
of  seventy-five  officers  and  men  in  Salt  Lake  Coun- 
ty and  hurried  them  southward  under  command  of 
Major  Andrew  Burt,  with  William  L.  N.  Allen  as 
captain.  These  were  Colonel  John  Sharp 's  regiment 
and  were  among  the  last  to  return  home,  reaching 
Salt  Lake  City  early  in  November.  Utah  County 
sent  its  second  company  of  cavalry  in  June  under 
Captain  Joseph  Cluff  of  Provo,  and  two  more  com- 
panies in  August  under  Captain  Alva  Green  of 
American  Fork  and  Caleb  W.  Haws  of  Provo. 

Of  the  various  companies  and  commanders  do- 
ing duty  in  their  own  counties  it  is  perhaps  not  nec- 
essary to  speak  in  detail,  though  they  aquitted  them- 
selves with  much  credit.  As  far  south  as  Washing- 
ton County  where,  under  instructions  of  Brigadier- 
General  Erastus  Snow,  a  company  under  Captain 
James  Andrus  had  taken  the  field  and  had  lost  in 
one  expedition  private  Eliajh  Everett  Jr.,  slain  by 
the  savages ;  and  as  far  north  as  Cache  Countj^  there 
were  the  same  alert  and  unceasing  watchfulness 
against  hostile  inroads  or  outbreaks,  and  at  one  time 
during  the  year  as  many  as  twenty  five  hundred 
men  were  under  arms.  The  number  killed  during 
the  season's  campaign  was  of  whites  about  twenty 
and  of  Indians  between  forty  and  fifty.  The  set- 
tlers stock  herds  were  reduced  nearly  two  thousand, 
and  rarely  were  any  of  the  animals  recovered. 


INDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS  201 

.•i  ii  i  ii  in  i  mi  mi  in  inn  i! lllliiniiiiiiii iiiiiinii IIIIIHIIIIIIII llflllllllllimillllllllllliiiliilniur 

OLD  FATHER  J.  R.  IVIE  AND  HENRY 
WRIGHT  KILLED  AT  SCIPIO. 

On  the  morning  of  June  10,  1866,  a  large  band 
of  Indians  under  Chief  Black  Hawk  made  a  raid  on 
the  stock  in  Round  Valley,  Millard  County.  They 
killed  old  father  James  B.  Ivie,  father  of  Colonel 
J.  L.  Ivie,  J.  Ivie,  and  others,  and  mortally  wounded 
Henry  Wright,  who  were  out  looking  for  stock,  and 
drove  off  about  500  head  of  cattle  and  horses.  As  it 
was  known  that  they  would  come  towards  Salina,  a 
messenger  was  dispatched  to  Fort  Gunnison,  where 
it  was  known  that  General  Wm.  B.  Pace  with  a  com- 
pany of  thirty  men  were  stationed.  But  when  word 
of  the  trouble  at  Scipio  reached  the  camp,  General 
Pace  and  a  few  others  were  on  the  way  to  Manti. 
A  messenger  was  dispatched  post  haste,  and  caught 
up  with  the  party  at  Twelve  Mile  Creek,  just  below 
the  presnt  site  of  Mayfield.  The  company  returned 
to  Gunnison  through  a  heavy  thunder  storm.  Sal- 
ina which  had  been  vacated  in  April,  was  reached  by 
daylight,  and  here  it  was  decided  to  take  a  few  hours 
rest.  Accordingly,  the  pickets  were  sent  out,  and  the 
men  began  to  prepare  for  a  rest,  but  had  not  pro- 
ceeded very  far  when  one  of  the  guards  discharged 
his  gun,  which  was  the  signal  agreed  upon  that  the 
enemy  had  been  sighted. 

GEN.  PACE'S  BATTLE  AT  GRAVELLY  FORD. 
WM.  TUNBRIDGE  WOUNDED. 

Looking  to  the  southwest,  and  just  opposite  the 
Gravelly  Ford  could  be  seen  a  band  of  Indians  driv- 
ing a  bunch  of  cattle.  They  were  evidently  trying  to 
make  the  ford,  which  if  reached  in  time  would  give 


202  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

them  the  passes  to  the  mountains  on  the  east,  and 
insure  them  a  clean  getaway  with  the  stock.  General 
Pace  ordered  an  advance,  and  the  distance  of  eight 
miles  to  the  Gravelly  Ford  was  covered  under  whip. 
The  advance  guard  was  about  two  hundred  yards  in 
the  lead  when  the  point  of  the  mountain  was  reached 
and  they  were  permitted  to  pass,  but  when  the  com- 
pany reached  that  place  they  were  fired  upon  by 
the  Indians  from  ambush  at  the  close  range  of  sixty 
paces. 

The  whites  were  commanded  to  cross-fire,  and 
the  Indians  were  routed,  but  about  this  time  the  In- 
dians were  reinforced  from  the  band  driving  the  cat- 
tle on  the  west.  A  guard  of  Indians  was  left  over 
the  cattle  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  while  Indians 
to  the  number  of  sevnty-five  or  eighty  engaged  in 
fighting  on  the  east  side. 

The  whites  retreated  to  higher  ground  and  made 
the  crest  of  a  hill  serve  as  breast-works  for  them. 
While  making  this  retreat,  William  Tunbridge  was 
wounded  in  the  leg  just  as  he  was  mounting  his 
mule,  but  when  assisted  in  his  saddle,  he  continued 
to  fight. 

After  reaching  the  higher  ground,  the  Indians 
surrounded  the  whites  and  began  to  close  in  on  them 
until  by  command  the  militia  began  to  fire  by  plat- 
toons  ;  this  manner  of  fighting  proved  very  effective, 
for  at  every  fire  an  Indian  or  his  horse  would  drop. 
Then  the  Indians  began  to  circle  around,  and  when 
a  point  of  advantage  was  gained,  they  fired  on  the 
whites.  There  was  one  particular  point  from  which 
most  of  the  shooting  was  done.  A  wash  led  in  the 
direction  of  the  point,  and  James  E.  Snow  determin- 
ed to  put  a  stop  to  the  practice  of  firing  from  it. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  203 

He  followed  the  wash  nearly  to  the  mouth,  and  then 
dropped  behind  a  large  sage-brush,  which  he  used  for 
a  rest  to  shoot  from.  He  soon  got  range  on  an  In- 
dian who  was  trying  to  put  one  of  his  wounded  on  a 
horse.  The  horse  being  between  Snow  and  the  In- 
dian, he  could  not  see  the  body  of  the  Indian,  but 
judging  from  the  position  of  his  feet  and  legs,  he 
decided  that  by  shooting  the  horses  through  the 
body  in  the  region  of  the  heart  the  same  shot  would 
get  the  red  man.  The  aim  proved  true,  for  at  the 
report  of  the  rifle  the  horse  fell  and  the  Indian  was 
wounded.  He  was  picked  up  by  two  of  his  braves 
and  spirited  away. 

The  wounded  Indian  was  none  other  than  the 
famous  Black  Hawk,  though  at  the  time  it  was  n<>t 
known.  Mr.  Snow  had  a  narrow  escape  in  this  af- 
fair, for  he  was  fully  600  yards  from  the  rest  of  the 
whites  and  was  closely  pursued  by  three  of  the  en- 
emy. While  getting  away  from  them,  Snow  caught 
his  saber  between  his  legs  and  fell.  Four  men  were 
dispatched  to  resue  him  and  thus  he  was  saved  from 
the  torture  of  the  red  men. 

When  the  tide  of  the  battle  seemed  turned  in  favor 
the  whites,  though  their  ammunition  was  by  this 
time  exhausted,  a  cloud  of  dust  from  the  direction 
of  Round  Valley  suggested  to  the  militia  that  more 
Indian  were  coming ;  a  retreat  was  therefore  ordered. 
Black  Hawk's  good  fortune  again  befriended  him; 
the  approaching  horsemen  were  a  company  of  Fill- 
more  cavalry,  seventy  strong  under  Captain  Owens. 
Before  they  effected  a  junction  with  General  Pace 
the  slippery  foe  were  safe  in  their  mountain  fast- 
nesses. 


204  INDIAN  DEPBEDATIONS 

A  RACE  FOR  LIFE. 

On  the  evening  of  June  10th,  four  soldiers,  J. 
H.  Noakes,  Uel  Stewart,  Eliel  Curtis  of  Springville 
and  Moroni  Manwil^  of  Pay  son,  were  carrying  dis- 
patches from  Gunnison  to  Glenwood,  it  rained  on 
them  nearly  all  the  way  and  traveling  was  bad,  con- 
sequently it  was  late  when  they  arrived  at  Glen- 
wood,  where  they  found  but  one  person,  namely  Art 
temus  Millet.  They  stayed  with  him  over  night, 
as  their  horses  were  jaded;  leaving  the  dispatches 
with  Millett  they  started  back  to  their  company,  and 
arrived  at  the  ridge  that  runs  down  to  the  river  at 
Rocky  Ford,  about  half  a  mile  south  of  the  Gravelly 
Ford.  When  they  got  onto  the  ridge,  they  saw  the 
Indians  in  the  act  of  driving  the  stock  across  the 
river  at  the  Gravelly  Ford,  but  could  not  see  the  com- 
pany of  militia  under  Pace.  Noakes  said,  "this  is 
no  place  for  us ;  if  we  go  on,  the  Indians  will  get  us. " 
As  they  turned  to  go  back  to  Glenwood,  the  Indians 
saw  them,  and  about  sixteen  of  them  gave  chase. 
Three  of  the  men  were  mounted  on  good  horses,  but 
Curtis  was  riding  a  small  mustang  that  they  called 
Tom  Thumb.  The  boys  put  spurs  to  their  horses  and 
made  the  best  time  possible,  while  the  savages  stead- 
ily gained  on  the  mustang.  Seeing  this,  the  boys 
told  Curtis  to  spur  forward,  and  they  would  drop 
behind  and  check  the  reds.  The  boys  turned  in  their 
saddles  several  times  and  fired  a  volley  which  check- 
ed the  pursuers.  Then  they  again  overtook  their 
comrade  and  stayed  with  him  until  their  copper-col- 
ored warriors  came  close.  Then  the  three  again 
halted  and  checked  the  enemy  until  their  friend  was 
a  sufficient  distance  in  advance  when  they  again 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  205 


swept  forward.  This  maneuver  was  made  several 
limes  and  the  ride  made  in  safety.  During  the  five- 
rrile  race  Noakes  shot  one  Indian  off  his  horse  and 
Stewart  shot  a  horse.  In  the  meantime  news  of  the 
fight  was  received  by  General  Snow  at  Manti.  Col- 
onel Kimball  with  his  cavalry,  then  stationed  at 
Fountain  Green,  was  ordered  to  report  at  once  at 
headquarters.  In  thirty  minutes  the  command  was 
in  the  saddle,  and  before  daylight  next  morning  was 
at  Manti,  where  it  remained  most  of  the  day  under 
waiting  orders  until  reinforcements  should  arrive 
from  Mount  Pleasant.  That  night  a  short  march 
was  made,  and  the  combined  forces  now  under  per- 
sonal command  of  General  Snow  went  into  camp. 
The  impatience  of  the  men  who  wanted  to  overtake 
the  Indians  by  forced  march  and  engage  them  could 
hardly  be  restrained  by  the  cautious  commander, 
who,  taught  by  experience  had  no  relish  for  rushing 
recklessly  into  a  possible  ambuscade.  The  march 
was  resumed  the  next  morning,  and  at  noon  the 
troops  came  upon  the  previous  night's  camping 
ground  of  the  Indians  in  a  canyon  at  the  western 
edge  of  Castle  Valley.  A  council  of  war  was  called, 
and  though  the  young  officers  and  the  majority  of 
the  men  were  in  favor  of  an  advance  at  the  best  pos- 
sible speed,  the  General  decided  that  without  heavy 
reinforcements  it  would  be  imprudent  to  continue 
the  case. 

GEN.  WELLS  AND  MILITIA  LEAVE  GREAT  SALT 

LAKE  CITY  FOR  SANPETE. 

GEN.  WELLS  TAKES  COMMAND  OF  THE  MILITIA 
IN  SANPETE. 

In    the    meantime    Lieutenant-General    Wells 
(leaving    Salt   Lake   on   the   llth),   reached    Gun- 


206  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

nison,  accompanied  by  a  body  of  cavalry  under  Col- 
onel John  R.  Winder,  followed  by  a  company  of  in- 
fantry from  the  regiment  of  Col.  Samuel  W.  Rich- 
ards under  command  of  Major  William  W.  Cas- 
per and  Peter  Sinclair,  battalion  adjutant,  with 
Jesse  West  as  captain  and  Alexander  Burt,  Byron 
Groo  and  others  as  lieutenants.  The  cavalry  force 
was  assigned  to  patrol  duty  along  the  Sevier  River, 
and  the  infantry  detailed  to  the  settlements  of  San- 
pete. 

Colonel  Winder  was  immediately  assigned  to 
duty  as  assistant  adjutant  to  General  Wells ;  the  lat- 
ter gave  orders  that  the  pursuit  of  Black  Hawk 
should  be  at  once  resumed  and  another  effort  made 
to  recover  the  stock;  the  trail  of  the  savages  was 
again  struck  and  after  passing  the  point  where  the 
pursuit  had  been  abandoned,  the  troops  found  that 
they  had  been  at  the  time  within  twelve  miles  of  the 
enemy  and  the  stolen  cattle. 

A  longer  march  confronted  them  now,  and  one 
beset  with  many  difficulties.  The  trail  was  follow- 
ed over  rocky  ridges,  up  and  down  almost  impassa- 
ble gorges,  across  occasional  streams  of  alkali  water 
and  into  the  most  forbidding  and  desolate  deserts. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  first  day's  march  the  men 
He  followed  the  wash  nearly  to  the  mouth,  and  then 
and  animals  were  well-nigh  exhausted  from  the  trials 
of  the  journey,  all  having  suffered  intensely  from 
thirst.  (During  two  days  more  and  the  larger  part  of 
the  two  nights  the  toilsome  march  continued;  and 
when  futility  of  further  pursuit  was  recognized  and 
the  condition  of  the  troops  was  seen  to  be  perilious, 
a  retreat  was  again  ordered,  and  it  was  none  too 
soon;  the  command  was  scarcely  able  to  get  out  of 


INDIAN  DEPBEDATIONS  207 

inn  nun  in  .....  lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll  .....  lllllllll  .....  Illlllllllllllllltlllllllllllllllllllllltllllllllllll 

the  desert,  owing  to  weakness  of  both  horses  and 
men  ;  of  the  latter  there  were  several  whose  months 
and  tongues  were  so  sore  that  they  could  scarcely 


CAPTAIN  A.  P.  DEWEY  WAS  ORDERED 
TO  ESTABLISH  A  POST  IN  THISTLE  VALLEY. 

A  lew  days  later,  Jmu  the  21st,  Captain  Al- 
boi  t  P.  Dewey  of  Colonel  Kitnoail''?  comm&rd  was 
ordered  to  establish  a  post  in  Thistle  Valley  in  the 
north  end  of  Sanpete  county  —  a  point  that  was  con- 
sidered the  key  to  any  probable  attack  from  that  di- 
rection. His  command  consisted  of  twenty-two  cav- 
alry and  thirty-five  infantiy,  the  latter  under  Cap- 
tain Jesse  West,  who  started  from  Moroni  on  the 
21st  of  June. 

On  the  evening  of  the  23rd  of  June  the  In- 
dians gave  indications  of  their  presence  in  the  vic- 
inity of  the  camp  in  Thistle  Valley,  and  extra  pre- 
cautions were  taken  to  guard  against  a  surprise. 

Hyrum  Murphy  of  Captain  Dewey's  company 
states  that  when  the  company  first  went  to  Thistle 
Valley,  they  were  camped  by  the  wagon  road,  near 
the  Warm  Springs  ;  but  feed  being  better  and  more 
convenient  elsewhere,  the  camp  was  moved  up  east 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  to  a  more  exposed  location  ; 
and  during  the  night  of  the  23rd  of  June  an  object 
resembling  in  the  dark,  a  small  bear  crawling  round 
camp,  occasionally  howling  like  a  coyote,  came  close 
by  a  bed  in  which  slept  two  boys.  The  guard  saw  and 
shot  at  it,  when  it  ran  away.  It  was  afterwards  be- 
lieved to  be  an  Indian  trying  to  locate  the  horses,  and 
ascertain  the  condition  of  the  camp. 


208  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

BATTLE  IN  THISTLE  VALLEY. 

On  Sunday  morning,  the  24th  of  June  about 
nine  o'clock,  most  of  the  horses  were  driven  to  feed 
in  a  cove  about  half  a  mile  south  east  of  camp.  With- 
out the  knowledge  of  the  militia,  Indians  were  scat- 
tered through  the  cedars  and  ravines  east  and  south 
of  camp  at  that  time.  Charles  Brown  of  Draper, 
Salt  Lake  County,  and  a  companion  were  in  the 
cedars  near  the  horses  picking  gum,  when  they  saw 
Indians.  They  ran  for  camp,  and  when  out  in  the 
flat,  Brown  was  shot  through  the  back.  When  he 
fell  some  Indians  shot  him  with  arrows.  The  boys 
in  camp  seeing  what  had  happened  ran  out  to  his 
assistance,  and  brought  him  into  camp,  where  he 
expired.  The  Indians  made  a  rush  for  the  horses, 
stampeded  them  and  ran  down  between  the  hills 
and  camp,  about  half  a  mile  west,  when  the  Indians 
turned  them  south  into  the  so-called  Indian  Hol- 
lows, where  they  caught  some  of  them  and  rode  them 
back  to  fight  the  troops. 

They  soon  made  a  charge,  but  were  turned  back 
by  a  volley  from  camp.  All  the  breast-works  the 
troops  had  were  four  wagons  on  the  south  side  of 
camp ;  two  of  these  were  loaded  with  wood.  The  In- 
dians surrounded  the  camp,  and  closed  in  upon  it 
keeping  behind  trees  and  brush.  Some  of  them  ap- 
proached in  a  wash  that  ran  north  of  camp.  They 
shot  into  the  camp  wounding  Thomas  Snarr  of  Salt 
Lake. 

Captain  Dewey  had  sent  out  two  companies  of 
scouts,  four  men  in  each  company,  one  company  go- 
ing north  and  the  other  south-west.  Two  of  these 
going  north  were  at  the  Warm  Springs.  John  Ham- 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  209 

liton  and  Homer  Roberts  who  were  farther  north, 
saw  the  Indians  take  the  horses  and  came  back  to 
camp.  They  were  immediately  sent  to  Mount  Plea- 
sant to  report.  The  others  were  chased  by  the  In- 
dians but  got  into  camp  safely.  The  Indians  who 
did  not  know  that  an  express  had  been  sent  kept 
the  direction  to  the  settlements  south  closely  guard- 
ed. The  i'o? lowing  account  was  obtained  from  Eskild 
C.  Petersen,  one  of  Colonel  Ivie's  men: 

When  the  express  arrived  at  Mount  Pleasant, 
Col.  John  L.  Ivie  with  his  company  of  cavalry  hap- 
pened to  be  up  Pleasant  Creek  Canyon  and  through 
the  hills  scouting,  the  cow-herd  being  in  the  foot- 
hills below  them.  About  two  p.  m.  they  heard  three 
shots  down  the  canyon,  and  they  gathered  at  the 
herd  and  was  ordered  to  help  gather  the  stock.  Pre- 
sently they  heard  five  more  shots,  farther  down  the 
canyon,  and  they  knew  that  to  be  a  signal,  upon  which 
they  left  the  stock  and  rode  down  to  the  mouth  of 
the  canyon,  when  they  were  informed  that  the  Salt 
Lake  boys  were  being  attacked  in  Thistle  Valley  and 
needed  help.  They  were  ordered  to  get  there  as 
quickly  as  their  horses  could  take  them.  The  distance 
to  town  was  about  four  miles  and  when  they  got 
there  they  received  their  orders  and  started  for  the 
north.  "When  they  reached  Fairview,  six  or  eight 
men  were  ready  to  accompany  them;  and  they  ar- 
rived in  Thistle  Valley  about  an  hour  before  sun- 
down. The  Indians  by  this  time  had  the  camp  sur- 
rounded, and  the  boys  were  keeping  the  enemy  back 
the  best  they  could  without  exposing  themselves  to 
the  fire  of  the  savages.  Their  ammunition,  how- 
ever, was  nearly  exhausted  and  the  Indians  had  all 
their  horses  except  six,  and  these  were  all  wounded. 


210  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

When  Ivie's  company  reached  the  valley  the  sav- 
ages intercepted  them,  one  Indian  who  seemed  most 
daring  rode  out  in  the  open.  The  Colonel  dismount- 
ed and  with  his  Henry  rifle  took  a  shot  at  him ;  the 
redskin  lopped  over  on  the  side  of  his  horse.  Some 
of  the  other  Indians  rode  out  and  drove  the  horse 
with  its  limp  rider  back  into  the  cedars.  Another 
Indian  had  left  his  horse  and  was  sneaking  in  the 
wash,  when  Orange  Seeley  and  R.  N.  Bennett  rushed 
up  and  got  the  horse  with  saddle,  bridle,  a  long  lasso 
and  a  buckskin  jacket.  Seely  kept  the  horse  as  a 
trophy  of  war.  At  that  time  it  was  not  known  what 
the  conditions  were  at  camp,  so  the  troops  made 
haste  to  get  there.  After  an  exchange  of  a  few  shots 
the  besiegers  drew  off  with  their  booty. 

About  dusk  Colonel  Ivie's  men  hitched  their 
horses  onto  the  company  wagons  and  moved  them 
down  to  the  wagon  road  more  in  the  middle  of  the 
Valley,  where  they  would  be  less  exposed,  in  case  of 
a  night  attack.  The  Indians  had  fought  the  boys 
all  day  and  if  they  had  not  received  help  there  is 
no  doubt  but  that  the  Indians  would  have  taken  the 
camp,  as  the  savages  were  receiving  reinforcements 
during  the  day,  Brown's  body  was  taken  to  Mount 
Pleasant.  The  writer  and  three  others  arrived  at 
the  camp  the  following  day  with  .provisions  from 
Mt.  Pleasant  and  militia  men  arrived  there  during 
the  day  from  all  parts  of  Sanpete  county.  Colonel 
Kimball  and  his  command  arrived  early  in  the  morn- 
ing and  about  the  same  time  Major  Casper  came  upon 
the  scene  from  Moroni  with  General  Snow  of  Manti 
in  command;  the  pursuit  of  the  retreating  savages 
was  hotly  begun  by  the  combined  force  of  militia, 
the  trail  of  the  Indians  being  plainly  marked  by 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  211 

the  blood  from  their  dead  and  wounded,  whom,  in 
accordance  with  their  custom,  they  bore  away  with 
them.  The  chase  lasted  until  Soldier  Summit,  at 
the  head  of  Spanish  Fork  River,  was  reached.  Here 
the  Indians,  resorted  to  their  old  tactics  of  separat- 
ing and  scattering  in  all  directions  and  further  chase 
had  to  be  abandoned.  This  was  the  last  military 
event  of  importance  in  Sanpete  County  that  sea- 
son, and  a  few  weeks  afterwards  the  larger  part  of 
the  troops  from  the  northern  counties  (most  of  them 
having  been  in  the  service  from  sixty  to  ninety  days) 
returned  and  were  mustered  out.  They  had  conduct- 
ed themselves  with  much  patience  and  bravery,  and 
had  rendered  invaluable  service  to  the  settlers  in 
the  threatened  counties.  General  Wells  and  his  of- 
ficers showed  good  judgment  in  their  disposition  of 
the  troops  and  inspired  confidence  throughout  the 
entire  district.  It  was  felt  that  against  leaders  of 
less  watchfulness  and  prudence  the  crafty  Black 
Hawk  and  his  braves  would  have  been  able  to  cause 
far  greater  losses  in  life  and  property.  But 
with  the  withdrawal  of  the  outside  militia,  the  efforts 
of  the  local  militia  organizations  were  not  relaxed. 
The  men  rendered  uncomplaining  service  on  picket 
guard  and  in  occasional  reconnoisances  into  the 
mountains,  and  the  officers  were  vigilant  and  full 
of  energy. 

Their  scanty  crops  had  to  be  harvested,  and  win- 
ter's  supply  of  fuel  gathered,  protection  furnished 
their  remaining  flocks  and  herds,  and  winter's  for- 
age provided.  All  this  work  had  to  be  performed  by 
men  under  arms  or  attended  by  an  armed  escort. 
And  it  is  remembered  that  the  sleepless  foe  ranged 
over  and  ravaged  a  district  three  hundred  miles  in  ex 


212  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

tent,  burning  saw-mills,  ranges  and  isolated  ranches, 
and  causing  the  abandonment  of  a  number  of  flou- 
rishing villages.  The  heroism  of  the  settlers  in  re- 
sisting by  night  and  day  the  terrifying  attacks  of 
the  marauders  is  worthy  of  the  warmest  praise.  In 
nearly  every  part  of  the  Territory  regular  guard 
duty  was  ordered.  Even  in  Salt  Lake  County,  the 
Lieutenant-General  issued  orders  as  early  as  May, 
1866,  to  Major-General  Robert  T.  Burton  to  have 
patrols  out  for  the  protection  of  stock  and  to  ob- 
serve the  movements  and  temper  of  the  Indians. 

In  the  settlements  on  the  west  side  of  the  Jor- 
dan river,  Salt  Lake  county  there  was  much  regular 
work  of  this  character  under  the  organization  of 
increased  military  companies  during  the  early  sum- 
mer. Utah  County,  populous  and  well  prepared  as 
it  was,  did  not  entirely  escape  the  ravages  of  the 
Indians. 

REPORTED   BY  JOEL  ANDREW  JOHNSON 
ONE  OF  MAJOR  CLUFF'S  MEN. 

Major  Joseph  Cluff 's  cavalry  company  consis- 
ting of  twenty  cavalrymen  and  two  baggagemen  left 
Provo,  for  Sanpete  and  Sevier  counties  June  13, 
1866 ;  they  went  through  Salt  Creek  Canyon  and  on 
to  Twelve  Mile  Creek  (now  May  fields  going  as  an 
escort  to  General  Wells  as  far  as  Circleville,  in  con- 
nection with  others.  When  General  Wells  returned, 
an  escort  of  six  of  Major  Cluff 's  command  escorted 
him  to  the  Prickly  Pear  Ridge  between  Marysvale 
and  Monroe.  The  escort  returned  to  Circlevalle  and 
stayed  there  while  the  inhabitants  prepared  to  va- 
cate the  town.  Some  of  the  people  went  to  Beaver 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  213 

and  Iron  Counties  and  Major  Cluff'  s  command  es- 
corted those  who  came  north  as  far  as  Fort  Gunni- 
son.  They  were  six  days  making  the  trip  and  cele- 
brated the  fourth  of  July  at  Gunnison,  after  which 
they  were  sent  back  to  Mayfield  again  where  they  en- 
gaged in  camp  and  scout  duty  until  released  to  re- 
turn home.  A  part  of  the  command  went  to  Fish 
Lake  with  others,  pursuing  the  Indians  who  stole 
the  stock  from  Scipio;  they  were  gone  from  home 
forty-four  days,  or  from  the  13th  of  June  till  the 
27th  of  July. 

While  stationed  at  Gunnison,  two  of  Major 
Cluff 's  command  deserted,  namely  William  Nelson 
and  John  Baum.  They  were  seen  crossing  over  the 
ridge  between  Gunnison  and  Warm  Creek.  General 
Wells  was  asked  "  Shall  we  follow  them  and  bring 
them  back. ' '  The  General  scatched  his  head,  studied 
a  while  and  then  replied  ' '  No,  let  the  poor  devils  go ; 
they  don 't  know  what  they  are  doing. ' ' 

When  the  Circleville  settlers  left  Gunnison 
they  camped  the  first  night  on  the  Sanpitch  river 
between  Twelve  and  Nine  Mile  creeks.  Eight  of 
Major  Cluff 's  command  were  sent  to  guard  their 
camp  during  the  night ;  they  were  posted  on  a  ridge 
northeast  of  camp.  Two  of  the  guards  held  their 
horses  in  a  swale  out  of  sight  all  night,  while  the 
others  guarded  an  Indian  trail  that  led  to  Warm 
Creek  (Fayette.) 

BATTLE  IN  DIAMOND  FORK,  EDMUNDSON 

AND  DIMMICK  KILLED. 
Copied  from  History  of  Springville. 

A  band  of  Indians  came  down  Maple  Canyon  in 
Utah  county,  June  26,  1866  and  made  a  foray  into 


214  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


•iniiilillllllllllllltlllllllllll 


the  valley  as  far  as  Roundy's  pasture  and  drove 
off  some  fifty  horses  and  twenty  head  of  cattle  into 
Maple  canyon.  H.  M.  Dougall  and  D.  E.  Deal  had 
been  the  mounted  videttes '  the  previous  day  and  had 
patrolled  the  country  between  Hobble  Creek  and 
Spanish  Fork  Canyon,  camping  with  the  squad  over 
night  at  the  first  bridge  in  the  former  canyon.  As 
tl  ey  rode  into  town  early  the  next  morning  they 
met  Bishop  Johnson,  who  asked  them  if  they  had 
seen  any  Indians.  Their  reply  was  "No,  no  sign  of 
Indians.  Everything  is  all  right."  The  Bishop  re- 
plied, "No,  everything  is  not  all  right:  the  Indians 
came  down  Maple  canyon  last  night  and  took  a  herd 
of  cattle  from  Markham's  pasture  at  Spanish  Fork, 
and  some  horses  from  Eoundy's  pasture.  Go  tell 
Colonel  Bromley  to  come  quickly."  Bromley  was 
summoned.  The  old  bell  spoke,  the  drams  beat, 
and  in  twenty  mintues  several  of  the  mounted  minute 
men  were  on  the  public  square,  armed  and  ready  to 
go.  It  was  about  9  a.  m.  and  a  dispatch  had  been 
sent  to  Colonel  Creer  of  Spanish  Fork  to  meet 
the  Springville  squad  at  the  mouth  of  Maple  canyon, 
and  all  proceed  under  the  command  of  Creer  on  the 
trail  of  the  hostiles.  Alma  Spafford,  H.  0.  Crandall, 
T.  L.  Mendenhall,  J.  A.  Groesbeck,  John  Edmund- 
sorj,  Loren  Dibble,  D.  C.  Johnson  and  an  old  soldier 
by  the  name  of  Gillispie,  and  Wiley  Thomas  of  Span- 
ish Fork  composed  the  posse.  The  other  members 
of  the  minute  company  were  in  the  fields  and  could 
not  be  reached  in  time.  A  gallop  of  thirty  minutes 
brought  the  young  troopers  to  the  mouth  of  the  can- 
yon, but  by  the  indications  Creer 's  men  had  arrived 
first  and  gone  up  the  canyon.  Our  boys  rode 
rapidly  after  them  mile  after  mile,  until  they  had 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  215 

crossed  the  divide  and  descended  the  steep  trail  in- 
to the  head  of  Diamond  Fork,  but  could  see  nothing 
of  the  Spanish  Fork  troopers.  There  were  three 
young  madcaps  in  the  squad  that  day,  who  kept  rid- 
ing ahead  in  their  anxiety  to  find  the  Indians. 
When  the  party  came  within  a  half  mile  of  the 
spot  where  the  skirmish  took  place,  the  three 
boys  who  were  still  ahead  rode  up  on  a  knoll 
and  gave  a  whoop,  for  a  little  way  in  advance  they 
could  see  Creer's  men  under  a  clump  of  trees  and  fir- 
ing over  towards  the  south  side  of  the  broad  flat 
canyon.  With  a  yell  the  advance  guard  charged  to- 
ward their  white  friends,  followed  by  the  boys  in 
the  rear.  Just  as  the  three  mad-caps  got  within  a 
hundred  yards  of  the  party  they  were  suddenly  fired 
upon  by  a  number  of  Indians,  who  at  that  moment 
were  in  the  act  of  flanking  the  Spanish  Fork  boys. 
They  had  found  their  Indians,  but  instead  of  engag- 
ing them  in  a  hand  combat,  Dibble  turned  to  the  right 
and  came  back  to  the  main  body ;  Groesbeck  was  un- 
horsed by  the  breaking  of  his  saddle  girth,  but  clung 
to  the  halter  strap  as  his  horse  circled  to  the  left  and 
came  back  to  his  comrades  in  the  rear.  Edmundson 
kept  straight  ahead  and  to  the  left  of  the  Spanish 
Forkers,  until  he  was  lost  to  view  by  the  intervening 
brush. 

The  Springville  boys  quickly  dismounted,  and 
leaving  their  horses  with  one  of  the  men,  advanced 
cautiously  toward  Creer's  command.  At  this  junc- 
ture several  Indians  were  seen  to  retreat  hastily 
from  their  position  on  the  south  and  disappear  in 
the  thickets  which  hedged  Diamond  creek.  The 
Spanish  Fork  boys  had  been  in  their  position  for  an 
hour  and  had  seen  some  warm  work.  Al  Dimmick 


216  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

was  fatally  wounded  and  lay  upon  a  bed  of  leaves 
in  the  shade.  In  a  few  moments  an  Indian  appear- 
ed upon  the  bluff  and  by  his  excited  gestures  seem- 
ed to  be  haranguing  his  men.  Some  shots  were  ex- 
changed, but  the  effect  was  not  known,  as  both  sides 
were  laying  low. 

Presently  Colonel  Creer  selected  five  long  range 
rifles  and  began  volley  firing  at  the  chief,  some  800 
yards  distant,  and  at  about  the  fifth  volley  the  In- 
dian fell  upon  the  neck  of  his  horse,  which  ran  be- 
hind the  hill  and  out  of  sight.  The  Indians  were  then 
seen  scampering  over  the  ridge,  and  were  variously 
estimated  at  from  twenty  to  fifty.  All  was  quiet 
for  the  next  half  hour  and  a  careful  scout  was  made, 
but  no  sign  of  the  enemy  was  visible  and  it  was  con- 
cluded that  they  had  drawn  off  with  their  dead  and 
wounded  and  would  renew  the  attack  after  night  fall. 
Feeling  sure  of  a  night  attack,  a  courier  was  sent  to 
town  for  help.  The  man  who  volunteered  to  undertake 
this  perilous  task  the  the  old  veteran,  Gillispie.  It 
was  4  p.  m.  when  he  departed  and  he  reached  town 
about  7  p.  m.  with  the  news  of  the  figh,  the  extreme 
peril  of  the  white  men  and  that  Edmundson  was  p,  ss 
ing.  The  tocsin  bell,  in  quick  sharp  tones  brought  the 
minute  men  from  their  quarters,  and  by  8  p.  m.  they 
had  started  under  the  direction  of  the  scout  to  re- 
lieve their  companions  from  their  extreme  peril. 

In  the  meantime  the  Indian  camp  which  had 
been  abandoned  at  the  beginning  of  the  attack  by 
the  whites  with  all  it  contained,  was  relieved,  l>y  the 
Spanish  Fork  contingent,  of  the  butcher  knives,  new 
hatS;  bridles  and  lariats  which  the  enemy  had  left  in 
his  flight.  One  man  had  nine  new  army  hats,  and 
the  others  each  had  some  trophy.  Poor  Dimmick 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  217 

IllllllllllllltlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllltW 

was  tenderly  placed  upon  a  litter  and  just  after  sun- 
set the  party  sarted  on  their  return,  expecting  at 
any  moment  to  hear  the  crack  of  the  deadly  rifle 
and  the  piercing  war-whoop.  They  were  compelled 
to  carry  their  wounded  comrade,  who  groaned  in 
agony  at  every  step.  At  times  he  entreated  his 
bearers  to  kill  him  and  end  his  sufferings.  Tire- 
less the  troops  ascended  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
mountain  out  of  the  Diamond,  winding  up  the  precip- 
itous and  hazardous  mountain  trail.  The  front  and 
rear  guards  kept  keenly  on  the  alert,  in  order  to  pre- 
vent an  ambush.  About  midnight  the  pass  was 
reached  and  the  descent  upon  the  home  side  of  the 
mountain  began.  Near  the  summit  the  relief  party 
was  met  and  not  until  then  did  the  returning  party 
realize  that  it  was  safe.  Still  slowly  the  homeward 
journey  was  continued  and  completed  just  at  day- 
break. 

In  front  of  the  old  hall  they  were  met  by  Bishop 
Johnson  who  praised  the  boys  for  their  good  work, 
told  them  to  get  a  few  hours  sleep  and  at  the  call  of 
the  bell  to  assemble  for  the  purpose  of  returning  to 
the  scene  of  the  fight  to  search  for  Edmundson,  who 
had  not  returned.  It  was  thought  he  had  escaped 
and  would  perhaps  reach  home  through  some  of  the 
canyon  passes.  Alas !  vain  hopes !  the  poor  boy  lay  up- 
on the  lonely  hillside  cold  in  death,  with  the  moon 
shining  in  his  upturned  face. 

At  7  a.  m.  the  loud  alarm  bell  called  the  weary 
troopers  from  their  blankets  and  in  a  very  few  mo- 
ments they  were  on  the  march,  under  the  command 
of  Captain  Steele.  At  the  mouth  of  Maple  Canyon 
they  found  Col.  Creer  with  his  company.  This  morn- 
ing they  had  deemed  it  advisable  to  wait  for  the 


218  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

inn  n  i lllllllllllllllllllllllliilillinil inn iiiiiiMiiiiiiiMMiiiiiitiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinitui 

Springville  contingent.  Under  command  of  Colonel 
Creer  the  party  proceeded  to  the  scene  of  the  combat 
of  the  previous  day.  They  found  the  camp  intact,  the 
enemy  not  having  returned  for  his  camp  equipage. 
There  were  seventeen  saddles  by  actual  count,  and 
other  trappings  used  by  native  riders,  but  no  other 
appearance  of  an  enemy.  The  day  before  the  hostiles 
had  killed  two  or  three  beeves,  and  large  flitches  of 
juicy  steaks  still  hung  upon  the  rocks  and  brush 
where  the  thieves  had  placed  them  to  sun-dry.  The 
horses  were  left  under  the  guard  of  a  part  of  the 
troops,  while  the  others  in  squads  trailed  the  hills 
in  every  direction  in  search  of  traces  of  the  missing 
man.  After  a  toilsome  search  and  just  about  sun- 
down his  mangled  body  was  found  three-fourths  of  a 
mile  north  of  the  battle  ground.  He  had  been  strip- 
ped of  his  shirt,  his  right  hand  was  severed  at  the 
wrist,  his  scalp  torn  off  and  the  savage  foe  had  shot 
him  twice  through  the  heart,  the  muzzle  of  the  wea- 
pon being  held  so  close  that  the  body  was  powder- 
burned.  A  signal  gun  was  fired  to  notify  the  search- 
ers that  the  hunt  was  ended,  and  all  gathered  quickly 
to  their  horses.  When  the  boys  came  in  they  brought 
some  stolen  stock,  among  which  was  a  horse  belong- 
ing to  Wm.  Smith  with  blood  stains  upon  the  withers 
and  down  the  front  leg — the  animal  supposedly  had 
been  ridden  by  the  war-chief  the  previous  day.  The 
dead  man  was  placed  upon  this  horse  by  Thomas 
Dallin  and  then  came  a  discussion  as  to  whether  the 
company  should  return  home  via  Spanish  Fork  Can- 
yon, there  being  a  good  wagon  road  all  the  way,  or 
take  the  trail  back  through  Maple  canyon.  It  was 
eventually  decided  to  take  the  back  trail  and  the 
bugle  sounded  the  advance.  At  this  juncture  the 


INDIAN  DEPBEDATIONS  219 

horse  with  the  dead  rider  began  to  buck  and  rear  and 
plunge  in  a  fearful  manner  and  could  not  be  quieted. 
It  was  held  a  moment  while  the  body  could  be  re- 
moved and  strapped  upon  the  back  of  "Old  Beck" 
a  family  mare  belonging  to  William  Mendenhall 
and  Richard  Mendenhall  mounted  the  refractory 
broncho  and  the  march  home-ward  was  commenced 
and  was  finished  at  3  a.  m.  and  the  dead  man  was 
placed  upon  a  bier  in  front  of  the  old  hall  when  the 
now  thoroughly  fatigued  rough  riders  went  to  rest. 

Hardly  had  their  tired  heads  sank  upon  the  pil- 
lows when  the  signal,  (three  quick  flashes)  was  made 
at  the  mouth  of  Spanish  Fork  Canyon  and  seen  by 
the  guard  in  the  tower,  and  the  bell  from  its  iron 
throat  rang  out,  "Come!  Come!  Come!  Quick! 
Quick!  Quick!"  a  few  of  the  tired  riders  rallied, 
also  some'  of  the  citizens  in  wagons,  drove  like  Jehu 
to  the  mouth  of  Spanish  Fork  Canyon  and  sur- 
prised the  guard  there  by  their  sudden  war  like  ap- 
pearance. The  guard  said  they  had  seen  Indians 
appear  some  distance  up  the  canyon  and  had  made 
one  light  (be  upon  your  guard) ;  but  as  it  had  been 
only  a  flash,  and  fearing  the  lookout  hadn't  seen  it, 
another  handfull  of  brush  had  been  thrown  on  the 
fire,  which  only  emitted  a  faint  flash,  when  a  larger 
amount  had  been  put  upon  the  embers  and  a  satisfac- 
tory blaze  kindled.  The  watch-men  had  seen  all 
three  of  the  flashes  and  acted  accordingly.  After 
scouring  the  vicinity  of  the  mouth  of  the  canyon 
where  fresh  Indian  signs  were  plainly  seen,  the 
cavalcade  returned  home.  Thus  ended  three  very 
exciting  days.  Some  of  the  boys  had  been  forty-eight 
hours  in  the  saddle  almost  without  food  or  sleep. 

The  Diamond  fight  was  the  most  successful  ei>- 


220  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


Illtlllllllllllllllllllllllllll 


gagement  of  the  war  in  this :  That  the  Indians  were 
thoroughly  whipped,  their  entire  camp  equipage  fall- 
ing into  the  hands  of  the  victors,  who  also  brought 
back  some  of  the  horses  and  all  of  the  cattle  except 
those  killed.  A  report  came  from  DuChesne  not 
long  afterwards,  that  the  dusky  marauders  had  eight 
killed  and  wounded,  and  that  Black  Hawk  was  the 
rider  who  left  his  blood-stains  upon  the  captured 
horse. 

On  the  day  after  the  return  of  the  expedition, 
Dimmick  and  Edmundson  were  buried  with  mili- 
tary honors.  Thus  ended  the  fight  on  the  Diamond, 
which  was  also  the  end  of  the  Indian  hostilities  in 
our  vicinity. 

CIRCLEVILLE  IN  PIUTE  COUNTY 
ABANDONED. 

Circleville  in  Piute  Couny  was  abandoned, 
June  28,  1866,  by  the  settlers,  some  going  to  Mil- 
lard  County  and  others  of  Sanpete  and  the  coun- 
ties north. 

CAPTPAIN  BIGLER  WITH  60  MEN  ARRIVE 
IN  MOUNT  PLEASANT. 

INDIANS  STEAL  150  HEAD   OF  CATTLE 
NEAR  EPHRAIM. 

Captain  Bigler  with  sixty  men  from  Davis 
County  arrived  in  Mount  Pleasant,  July  12,  1866  to 
relieve  the  Salt  Lake  troops.  On  Friday,  July  27th, 
Indians  made  a  raid  on  the  stock  of  Ephraim  and 
Manti  and  drove  away  one  hundred  and  fifty  head, 
Captain  Bigler  pursued  them  into  Castle  Valley 
without  recovering  the  stock,  or  having  an  engage- 
ment.— From  History  of  Sanpete. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  221 

Illllllllllltllllllllllllllllllmmil 1 1  urn iiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiimMimiiimmiiiimimiiiimmimiiiiiiiimi 

A  CAVALRY  COMPANY  LEAVE  ST.  GEORGE. 

ELIJJAH  EVERT  KILLED. 
HISTORY  OF  ST.  GEORGE  STAKE. 

Trip  of  a  cavalry  company  from  St.  George  to 
Green  River  as  reported  by  John  S.  Adams  of  An- 
nabella.  Dated  Sept.  18th. 

A  company  of  sixty-one  men  from  St.  George 
and  surrounding  settlements  were  ordered  out  by 
General  Erastus  Snow  as  a  minute  company  which 
expected  to  go  as  far  as  Green  River.  The  men  from 
the  different  places  met  at  Gould's  Ranch  in  Wash- 
ington County,  twenty-six  miles  east  of  St.  George  on 
the  16th  of  August,  1866.  They  were  inspected  by 
General  Snow  and  Staff.  General  Snow  told  the 
boys  that  if  those  who  were  called  would  obey  their 
officers,  all  would  be  well  with  them,  if  any  of  them 
were  hurt,  it  would  be  slightly ;  he  also  said,  if  any  of 
them  had  been  hired  to  go,  they  might  return  home. 
Continuing  the  journey  from  Gould's  Ranch,  August 
18th  the  men  made  their  first  camp  on  Short  Creek, 
where  they  saw  a  herd  of  wild  cattle.  Captain 
James  Andrus,  who  was  in  command,  detailed  six 
men  to  go  after  the  cattle  and  drive  them  to  Pipe 
Springs,  or  Whitemore  's  ranch.  The  company  went 
on  to  the  place,  and  that  evening  the  detail  brought 
in  the  cattle,  the  horses  of  those  driving  the  cattle 
being  well  night  exhausted,  ten  or  fifteen  men  were 
sent  out  to  help  them  in  and  drive  the  animals  into 
the  Whitmore  corral ;  an  old  cow  that  had  been  tame 
refused  to  go  into  the  corral,  and  made  an  effort 
to  fight  the  men  and  horses ;  finally  they  had  to  push 
her  along,  but  she  was  shot  several  times  before 
reaching  the  corral.  Captain  Andrus  killed  and 


222  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

dressed  the  cow  and  three  other  animals.  We  stopped 
there  two  days  and  jerked  the  meat,  which  is  done 
by  cutting  the  meat  into  strips  and  hanging  it  on  a 
platform  made  of  willows  and  building  a  fire  undei* 
it,  the  fire  helping  the  sun  to  dry  it.  On  Tuesda3rr 
the  21st,  we  mustered  in  camp  one  captain,  one  1st 
lieutenant,  one  bugler,  four  2nd  lieutenants  and 
thirty-five  privates  equipped  with  good  long  range 
rifles  and  revolvers,  and  we  were  lator  reinforced  by 
Lieutenant  Joseph  Fish  with  eighteen  men  ii.om 
Parowan  in  Iron  County  who  left  there  on  the  22nd 
of  August.  Next  day  brought  us  to  Skootem-pah, 
where  it  rained  on  us  all  night.  Some  of  the  men  took 
colds  which  culminated  into  chills  and  fever;  the 
next  day's  journey  brought  us  to  the  Par-reah.  Here 
six  of  the  disabled  men  were  sent  back  with  the  sore- 
backed  horses,  fourteen  in  number,  and  the  spare 
camp  equipage.  These  men  were  Elijah  Everett. 
Charles  Pinney,  George  Ishum,  Albert  Beebe,  Fred- 
erick Reggus  and  Hyrum  Pollock.  They  started  back 
about  two  o'clock  p.  m.  and  at  the  same  time  we 
moved  camp  seven  miles  to  Coal  Point.  At  about  5 :30 
p.  m.  on  Mondoy,  August  21st,  six  miles  on  the 
way  back,  the  party  returning  were  waylaid  by  In- 
dians crossing  a  deep  gorge  and  passing  up  a  steep 
ledge  of  rocks.  The  foremost  man,  Elijah  Everett, 
beino;  dismounted  and  leading  two  animals,  was  kill- 
ed at  first  fire.  The  party  were  all  dismounted  and 
leading  their  animals  up  a  steep  acclivity  at  the  time 
the  attack  was  made.  George  Ishum  received  an  ar- 
row wound  in  the  left  shoulder.  Supposing  there 
were  a  large  party  of  the  Indians,  they  retreated  to 
the  opposite  side  of  the  gorge  and  took  shelter  in  the 
cedars.  When  Everett  was  shot  he  exclaimed,  "Oh 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  223 

boys ' '  and  expired.  The  boys  who  had  been  sent  back 
came  straggling  into  camp  one  or  two  at  a  time,  all 
reporting  that  the  others  had  been  killed.  On  learn- 
ing of  this  disaster,  Captain  Andrus  took  about  twen- 
ty-five men  and  went  down  the  Pah-reah,  expecting 
to  head  off  the  Indians ;  they  came  upon  them  about 
12  o'clock  ascending  the  point  of  a  mountain.  We 
surrounded  the  place  as  quickly  as  possible,  but 
darkness  came  on  and  the  Indians  escaped.  We  re- 
mained until  daylight,  supposing  we  had  some  of 
them  driven  into  a  small  cove  near  where  we  over- 
took them.  But  in  this  we  were  mistaken;  the  In- 
dians had  escaped  in  the  night.  However,  we  got 
all  the  horses  and  guns  that  the  savages  had  captured 
except  the  two  that  Everett  had  with  him  when  he 
was  killed.  About  10  o'clock  a.  m.  on  the  27th  (Mon- 
day) we  recovered  Everett's  body,  wrapped  it  in  a 
blanket  and  burier  it  there,  covering  the  place  with 
brush  and  and  rocks.  The  men  all  stayed  together 
during  the  balance  of  the  trip.  We  went  up  the  east 
fork  of  Pah-reah  and  through  Potato  Valley  (now 
Escalante).  Here  we  gathered  some  wild  potatoes 
which  we  cooked  and  ate  them ;  they  were  somewhat 
like  the  cultivated  potato,  but  smaller.  From  there 
we  went  through  Eabbit  Valley,  crossed  the  Dirty 
Devil  Creek  (also  called  Fremont  Eiver)  and  got 
within  sight  of  Green  Eiver.  We  then  turned  back, 
the  country  between  us  and  the  river  being  too  rough 
and  broken  to  proceed  farther.  Black  Hawk  told  Mr. 
Adams  later  (at  the  time  of  the  treaty)  that  when 
the  men  turned  away  they  were  within  three  miles 
of  his  (Black  Hawk)  main  camp  and  the  stock,  that 
he  and  his  warriors  were  in  Sanpete,  and  that  there 
were  only  old  men  and  squaws  left  in  camp.  The 


224  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


iiiiiiiiiinir 


company  expected  to  meet  the  Sanpete  boys  some- 
where, but  missed  them.  When  starting  back  we 
made  a  dry  camp;  we  traveled  all  the  next  day  and 
made  another  dry  camp.  Some  of  our  horses  giving 
out,  six  men  were  sent  back  after  them  on  foot,  ex- 
pecting to  catch  the  horses  and  ride  them  back.  The 
horses,  however,  were  rested  and  would  not  be  caught 
consequently  the  men  had  to  carry  their  over-coats 
and  guns  and  walk  and  drive  the  horses;  it  was  a 
rough  experience ;  one  of  their  number  gave  out  and 
they  had  a  hard  time  to  overtake  their  companions 
in  the  evning.  The  company  now  went  down  the  east 
fork  of  the  Sevier  River,  and  passed  through  Circle- 
ville,  which  had  been  abandoned  in  the  spring,  after 
the  crops  had  been  put  in;  the  grain  was  ripe  and 
looked  fine ;  we  turned  our  horses  into  a  field  of  oats 
which  was  inclosed  by  a  fence.  From  there  we  went 
up  the  canyon  westward  and  through  Bear  Valley, 
where  we  killed  some  wild  chickens.  The  following 
day  we  continued  the  journey  to  Parowan  where  we 
were  entertained  with  a  dance  arranged  in  our  honor. 
Next  day  we  continued  the  journey  to  Cedar  City 
where  we  were  well  cared  for  and  from  there  we  went 
to  our  respective  homes. 

We  were  gone  from  home  sixty  days  to  the  best 
of  my  memory. 

It  was  said  that  Brother  Everett  who  was 
killed  had  been  hired  to  go  on  this  expedition  and 
that  he  was  one  of  those  who  were  permitted  to  re- 
turn home  before  starting.  The  personel  of  the  com- 
pany was  as  follows : 


JOSEPH  M.   WEST  WOOD 
Commander-in-Chief    Utah    Indian    War    Veterans 


Caleb    W.    Haw's    Cavalry    Company,    Commander    Utah    County    Department, 
i'tah  Indian  War  Veterans. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  225 

lllllllllltllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllHIIIIIIIIIIII 

MUSTER   ROLL   OF   INDIAN   EXPEDITION   TO 

REACH  JUNCTION  OF  GRAND  AND  GREEN 

RIVERS. 

James  Andrus,  captain,  Franklin  D.  Woolley, 
Adjutant,  Charles  John  Thomas,  Bugler. 

First  platoon :  Willis  Coplan,  second  lieutenant, 
George  Gould,  sergeant.  Privates :  Jesse  W.  Crosby, 
Jr.,  James  Cragum,  John  Houston,  David  Cammer- 
on,  Mahonri  Snow,  William  Meeks,  William  Edwards 
Cowley,  Henry  McFate,  Archibald  Sullivan,  John 
Lay. 

Second  Platoon:  Woodruff  John  Freeman,  sec- 
ond lieutenant;  Thales  Hastings  Haskell,  sergeant. 
Privates :  Alfred  Ford,  Hiram  Pollock,  Thomas  Jef- 
ferson Clark,  Samuel  Newton  Adair,  Frederick  Dic- 
kerson  Biggs,  Lehi  Smithson,  William  Gardner,  Wil- 
liam Slade,  Bennett  Bracken,  Benjamin  Knell. 

Third  Platoon:  Thomas  Dennet,  second  lieuten- 
ant ;  George  Petty,  sergeant.  Privates :  George  Wil- 
liams, Albert  Beebe,  George  Isom,  Charles  Pinney, 
James  A.  Stratton,  Robert  H.  Brown,  Elijah  Ever- 
ett, Jr.  killed,  Gardner  Potter,  Walter  Winsor,  Wil- 
liam Riggs. 

Fourth  Platoon :  Albert  Minerly,  second  lieuten- 
ant; Elijah  H.  Maxfield,  sergeant.  Privates;  Wil- 
liam A.  Bringhurst,  John  S.  Adams,  Joseph  S. 
McCleve,  John  Batty,  George  A.  Wadsworth,  Lem- 
uel H.  Redd,  Francis  Prince,  Robert  Richardson,  Eli 
N.  Pace,  James  Brigham  Thompson. 

Fifth  platoon:  Joseph  Fish,  second  lieutenant, 
Privates:  William  C.  McGregor,  Enoch  Wardle, 
George  Richard,  Thomas  Robb,  John  White,  Thomas 
Rowley,  Richard  Heber  Benson,  Edward  Parry, 
Samuel  Wood,  Andrew  Corry,  Horatio  Morrill. 


226  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

IIIIIMI IMIII in Illllllllltlllllllllllllllllllltllllllllllilliliiiiiiiiiiilllllllllllllllltllllllllilllliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii 

AN   EXTRACT  FROM  JAMES   M.   PETERSON'S 
DIARY. 

The  following  is  culled  from  the  diary  of  James 
M.  Peterson  of  Richfield  which  gives  some  additional 
data.  Mr.  Peterson  who  is  the  founder  of  the  first 
bank  in  Sevier  County : ' 'April  15th,  1866.  I  am  now 
sixteen  years  old  and  subject  to  military  duty.  My 
first  service  in  the  Black  Hawk  War  was  on  the  26th 
of  April  when  I  was  on  guard. 

May  3rd,  together  with  Sheriff  Nathaniel  Han- 
chett  and  five  others  I  started  north  with  fifty  head 
of  cattle  to  buy  arms  and  ammunition  for  the  people 
of  Sevier  county ;  we  went  by  way  of  Scipio  for  safe- 

ty. 

Tuesday,  May  5th,  we  began  to  trade  for  guns  at 
Payson  and  we  also  traded  at  Springville.  We  paid 
for  revolvers  thirty  to  forty  dollars  each ;  we  finished 
trading  in  Salt  Lake  City  on  the  14th  and  returned 
home  on  the  21st  under  guard  of  twenty  men.  Dur- 
ing our  trip  we  bought  eighteen  rifles,  eleven  revol- 
vers and  one  hundred  and  forty  pounds  of  ammuni- 
tion, which  we  had  purchased  at  an  enormous  price ; 
but  these  articles  were  indispensible.  June  5th  I 
was  on  picket  all  day  and  stood  guard  at  night. 

Sept.  8th  a  company  of  militia  camping  between 
Richfield  and  Glenwood  took  a  man  prisoner  suppos- 
ed to  be  a  spy  from  the  Indians. 

DEATH  OP  BLACK  HAWK. 

Black  Hawk,  the  Indian  chief  who  figured  so  prom- 
inently in  the  Utah  Indian  War  in  1865-1867,  died 
at  Spring  Lake  Villa,  a  small  settlement  situated  be- 
tween Payson  and  Santaquin,  Utah  County,  Utah,  in 
1870. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  227 

nlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllMllltlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllMllllllllllllllIlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll.l 

The  following  letter  gives  interesting  details : 
A  LETTER  FROM  WILLIAM  PROBERT. 
Dated  at  Provo,  Utah,  July  1st,  1915. 

Mr.  Peter  Gottfredson,  Springville,  Utah. 

Dear  sir: — I  am  glad  to  comply  with  your  re- 
quest to  give  some  items  of  history  of  some  of  the  In- 
dian troubles  in  and  near  Eound  Valley  (Scipio)  and 
in  the  following  narrative  I  am  sure  some  of  the  eron- 
eous  stories  told  in  regard  to  the  death  of  Black- 
Hawk,  the  great  Indian  Chief,  and  also  Panacara,  an 
inoffensive  Indian  who  made  his  home  in  Round 
Valley,  may  be  corrected  and  the  truth  of  the  matter 
given  to  the  people  in  your  proposed  history  of  the 
Indian  troubles  of  early  Utah  days. 

There  are  probably  a  dozen  men  in  Utah  who 
claim  the  honor  of  killing  Black  Hawk,  none  of  which 
is  true. 

It  is  true  that  Black  Hawk  was  severely  wounded 
in  the  fight  at  Gravelly  Ford  on  the  Sevier  River, 
near  what  is  now  called  Vermillion ;  but  he  lived  three 
of  four  years  after  receiving  the  wound ;  and  before 
his  death  Black  Hawk  obtained  permission  from  the 
military  authorities  of  the  Territory  to  visit  all  the 
places  where  he  and  his  tribe  had  caused  trouble  or 
raided.  And  accompanied  by  a  few  (seven  or  eight) 
warriors,  Black  Hawk  visited  every  town  and  vil- 
lage from  Cedar  City  on  the  South  to  Payson  on  the 
north  and  made  peace  with  the  people.  On  this  mis- 
sion of  peace  he  was  provided  with  an  escort,  usu- 
ally from  two  to  six  citizens,  from  town  to  town.  An- 
sel P.  Harmon  and  myself  acted  as  such  escort  from 
Holden  to  Scipio,  Millard  County. 


228  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

•  mini  ii  ii  minium  illinium  ii iiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilimiiiMiiiiiiiiiMMimmiii 

Black  Hawk  told  the  people  wherever  he  went 
that  he  was  going  home  to  die  and  before  the  end 
came  he  desired  to  be  at  peace  with  the  pale  faces. 
Black  Hawk  died  at  his  wigwam  near  Spring  Lake  in 
1869  or  1870 ;  the  exact  date  I  am  unable  to  give.  He 
was  buried  in  the  foot  hills  immediately  east  and 
south  of  Spring  Lake  Villa,  Utah  County. 

Because  of  the  killing  of  the  old  man  Ivie 
(James  Ivie)  in  Round  Valley  (Scipio)  a  few  years 
before  by  members  of  the  Black  Hawk  tribe  it  was 
feared  that  the  old  warrior  would  be  harshly  treated 
by  the  Ivie  family  on  the  trip  through  the  valley, 
unless  provisions  were  made  in  advance  for  his  pro- 
tection from  assault  from  that  source. 

The  Ivies  had  previously  sworn  vengeance,  and 
some  time  before  Black  Hawk's  appearance  on  his 
mission  of  peace,  the  old  Indian,  Panacara,  had  been 
shot  to  death  by  James  A.  Ivie.  In  order  to  justify 
himself,  Ivie  charged  that  Panacara  was  a  spy  for 
the  Ute  Indians  on  the  south,  which  was  not  true,  as 
Panacara  was  a  special  friend  of  the  white  people 
in  that  vicinity  and  was  hated  by  the  Utes.  On  one 
occasion  a  band  of  Utes  came  to  the  valley  for  the 
sole  purpose  of  killing  him.  Panacara  was  for  a 
number  of  years  before  his  death  "medicine  man" 
for  the  Pahvante  tribe  whose  home  was  in  Millard 
County,  and  this  tribe  of  Indians  was  always  friend- 
ly with  the  white  settlers. 

Panacara 's  death  at  the  hands  of  Ivie  was 
brought  about  in  this  way:  The  Old  Indian  came  to 
the  town  of  Scipio,  and  as  was  customary  he  car- 
ried a  gun.  This  custom  was  objected  to  by  the 
military  authorities  and  a  rule  was  adpoted  that  In- 
dians should  not  carry  arms  when  visiting  the  set- 


INDIAN  DEPKEDATIONS  229 

Miimmimiiiiiu  mil  Minimum  mil mil  iilliiiuii  u  II  IIIIIIIIIIMIIIMIIII  IIIMIIIMIIIIIIIIIMM  IIIIIMIIIIIIIII 

tlements.  Accordingly  the  acting  justice  of  the  peace 
Benj.  Johnson,  prevailed  upon  the  old  Indian  to  give 
up  his  gun.  The  Indian  willingly  gave  the  gun  to 
the  justice  and  started  out  to  cross  the  hills  in  the 
direction  of  Oak  Creek,  when  Ivie  followed  him,  and 
out  on  the  flat,  about  two  miles  from  town,  he 
overtook  the  Indian  and  without  warning  shot  him 
dead.  He  was  buried  where  he  was  killed. 

According  to  the  Indian  custom  it  was  "a  life 
for  a  life ' '  and  it  did  not  matter  to  them  who  it  was 
just  so  they  got  their  revenge  by  killing  a  white.  For 
the  death  of  Panacara  I  came  nearly  losing  my 
scalp  at  the  hands  of  ' ' Nun-ka-tots "  (a  particular 
friend  of  Panacara),  who  lived  most  of  the  time 
with  him.  I  was  on  my  way  from  Deseret  to  Scipio 
with  a  load  of  wheat  and  on  reachng  a  point;  on  the 
desert  near  Mud-Lake  the  reflection  of  a  gun  showed 
an  Indian  in  hiding  behind  a  mound  near  the  road. 
I  jumped  off  the  wagon,  ready  with  my  rifle  for 
action  when  the  Indian  rode  away.  For  seven  years 
this  Indian  avoided  me  and  finally  came  to  me  and 
asked  if  I  was  "tobuck"  now.  I  told  him  I  was 
not  "tobuck"  and  he  said  "me  no  tobuck  now';  and 
from  then  on  this  Indian  and  myself  were  good 
friends. 

(Signed)   William  Probert. 

Manti,  Utah,  Feb.  12,  1914. 

Box  109. 

ATTACK  ON  THE  J.  P.  LEE  RANCH  NEAR  BEAVER, 
JOSEPH  LILYWHITE  WOUNDED. 

Dear  Brother  Gottfredson : 

When  I  began  reading  to  mother  the  manuscript 
you  inclosed,  she  began  saying,  "That  is  not  quite 


230  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


iiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiininiiiiiiiiii 


right,  you  must  correct  that ; ' '  and  by  the  time  it  was 
finished  she  said,  "I  wish  you  would  just  lay  that 
aside  and  write  the  whole  story  in  your  own  way, 
and  I  will  help  you  with  the  facts.  I  think  we  can  in 
that  way  make  it  more  clear  than  by  correcting  this. ;  * 
I  have  done  so,  and  Mother  says,  this  is  the  only 
really  true  version  of  the  story  that  has  ever  been 
told.  She  is  the  only  survivor  of  the  three  grown 
persons  present  at  the  affair,  and  you  are  the  only 
person  in  all  these  years  who  has  ever  asked  her  for 
the  facts. 

She  hopes  you  will  thus  apply  at  headquarters 
for  all  your  other  Chronicles,  and  get  them  as  true 
and  straight  as  this  one  is. 

With  kind  regards  from  Mother  and  myself  . 
L.  L.  Dalton,  Lucinda  Lee. 

THE  INDIAN  ATTACK  ON  LEE'S  RANCH  IN 
BEAVER  COUNTY. 

In  the  fall  of  1866,  Mr.  John  Percival  Lee,  with 
most  of  his  family,  was  on  his  dairy  farm  (called 
Hawhorne  Dell,  situated  about  eight  miles  southeast 
of  Beaver  on  a  bright  little  stream  called  South 
Creek,)  busily  pushing  preparations  to  return  to 
town  for  the  winter. 

He  usually  spent  the  winters  in  town,  employed 
in  teaching  school,  and  the  summers  at  Hawthorne 
Dell,  farming  and  dairying.  Already  he  had  turned 
out  some  thirty  milch  cows  with  their  calves  along 
with  the  dry  stock,  to  forage  on  the  good  bunch  grass 
until  spring.  The  grain  was  standing  in  stacks  ready 
for  the  thresher,  and  Mr.  Lee  and  his  young  hired 
man,  Joseph  Lillywhite,  were  gathering  potatoes, 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  231 

miiiiiiiiiiiiiiimimiiim lllllllllllii llllllllllililiiliiliiiiiilii iiiimi nil lllllllllllllliliH 

with  the  help  of  several  children  who  assisted  to  pick 
up  the  tubers.  The  plan  was  to  fill  the  double-bedded 
wagon  full,  and  early  next  morning  take  that  load  to 
town  and  there  make  ready  for  storing  the  whole 
crop.  This  was  the  22nd  of  October,  and  Mr.  Lee  in- 
tended to  take  his  helper  with  him,  and  rather 
thought  they  could  not  return  on  the  same  day,  hav- 
ing so  much  to  do  there. 

It  was  sunset  before  the  load  was  completed,  and 
all  the  busy  workers  noticed  that  the  wolves  were 
very  noisy,  and  seemed  to  answer  each  other  from 
many  directions.  They  took  no  hint,  however,  even 
when  a  neighbor  from  town,  Mr.  Elliott  Willden,  who 
had  been  out  on  the  range,  and  who  tarried  to  take 
supper  with  the  Lees,  remarked  that  Indians  often 
used  wolf  howls  to  signal  each  other  and  to  drive  cat- 
tle together. 

After  the  guest  went  on  his  way,  Mr.  Lee  said  to 
his  helper:  "Joe,  it  does  seem  foolhardy  to  live  on 
a  lonely  place  like  this  and  pay  so  little  attention  to 
our  firearms.  Say,  we  clean  them  all  up  tonight  and 
get  our  ammunition  all  ready.  Then,  if  we  do  stay 
in  town  tomorrow  night,  Mrs.  Lee  will  not  be  quite 
defenseless  you  know."  Lightly  spoken  words  and 
]ong  remembered! 

The  firearms  consisted  of  one  large  double-bar- 
relled shotgun  (Mr.  Lee's  favorite  weapon),  one  new, 
excellent  repeating  rifle,  and  one  good  six-shot  re- 
volver. The  stock  of  ammunition  was  found  to  be 
pitiably  small  and  Mr.  Lee  resolved  to  buy  some  on 
the  morrow  while  in  town.  The  magazine  of  the  rifle 
contained  the  whole  of  its  stock  of  cartridges.  The 
shotgun  and  revolver  were  both  loaded  up  with  re- 


232  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

IlllllllllllllllllllllllltllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllltlllllllllUltllllllUlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllltllllllllltt 

volver  balls,  with  plenty  of  powder  behind  them. 
Mrs.  Lee  assisted  in  the  loading  to  be  sure  of  under- 
standing all  about  it,  with  this  preparation  the  fam- 
ily retired  to  rest  in  blissful  unconsciousness  of  the 
danger  that  was  even  then  hanging  over  them.  All 
night,  however,  the  wolf  howls  continued  and  the 
two  dogs  barked  and  fretted. 

Before  light  next  morning,  the  family  was  astir 
and  as  soon  as  the  back  (west)  door  wa»  opened, 
the  dogs  barked  so  furiously  toward  a  low  ridge  only 
a  few  rods  away  on  the  north,  that  the  two  men  took 
their  guns  when  they  stepped  out  to  reconnoiter. 
There  was  still  no  daylight,  but  the  sky  line  showed 
faintly  the  ragged  crest  of  the  brush  crowned  bench. 
"Mr.  Lee,"  said  Lillywhite,  "I  see  something  mov- 
ing. Shall  I  fire  f ' '  Hail  first,  Joe, ' '  answered  Mr. 
Lee,  "for  if  it  should  be  Indians,  and  we  fire  first, 
it  will  be  said  that  we  brought  trouble  on  ourselves." 

Accordingly  the  young  man  hailed ;  and  for  re- 
ply received  a  volley  of  bullets,  one  of  which  went 
through  his  right  shoulder.  He  reeled  and  the  gun 
fell  from  his  helpless  hand;  but  he  staggered  into 
the  house  before  he  fell.  Mr.  Lee,  with  other  bul- 
lets singing  past  him,  watched  the  young  man  till  he 
gained  cover;  then  fired  one  barrel  of  his  shotgun 
at  the  place  where  he  saw  the  flashes,  and  sprang 
into  the  house,  forgetting  to  recover  the  rifle. 

The  doors  and  windows  had  not  yet  all  been 
opened.  Such  as  were  open  were  now  hastily  closed, 
just  barely  in  time  to  prevent  the  entrance  of  the  In- 
dians as  they  rushed  yelling  down  the  hill. 

The  front  or  east  door  had  only  a  wooden  but- 
ton on  a  screw  for  a  fastening,  and  the  west  one  had 
a  broken  gimlet  stuck  nail-fashion  into  a  small  hole ; 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  233 

ltlllllllllllllinillllllllllllllllMIIIIIIIIIIMIIII.ini Illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll 

so  that  it  was  necessary  to  reinforce  these  frail  fas- 
tenings with  furniture. 

For  the  first  few  minutes  the  whoops  and  yells 
of  the  Indians,  punctuated  as  they  were  with  heavy 
blows  on  the  doors  and  with  shots  through  both 
doors  and  windows,  were  something  terrific.  The 
windows,  fortunnately,  had  strong  wooden  shutters, 
secured  with  iron  hooks  on  the  inside.  When  these 
were  all  closed,  the  house  would  have  been  very  dim 
had  the  sun  been  shining ;  but  now,  just  at  the  break 
of  day,  it  was  quite  dark,  and  a  tallow  candle  had 
to  be  lighted  to  enable  Mr.  Lee  to  reload  the  empty 
barrel  of  his  shotgun. 

After  raising  such  a  hideous  storm  around  the 
house  for  what  seemed  an  age,  the  Indians  grew 
quiet  and  one  advanced  to  parley.  During  this  lull 
in  the  strife,  it  may  be  well  to  introduce  to  the  reader 
the  remaining  members  of  the  household. 

Besides  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee  and  Mr.  Lillywhite, 
there  was  a  young  daughter  not  quiet  sixteen  years 
old,  who  lived  to  become  Mrs.  Mary  C.  Black,  now 
(A.  D.  1914)  a  skillful  apiarist  resident  in  Fruita, 
Cal.  Another  daughter,  twelve  years  old,  who  after- 
ward became  the  wife  of  Judge  J.  G.  Sutherland, 
an  eminent  jurist  in  Salt  Lake  Ciy.  Before  her  mar- 
riage, this  lady  had  studied  law,  passed  a  successful 
examination  and  been  admitted  to  practice  before 
the  bar.  She  was  then  Miss  Emma  Lee. 

Next  was  a  son,  Chas.  A.  Lee,  an  enterprising 
lad  of  nearly  ten  years,  who  is  now  an  apiarist  and 
orchadist  in  Fresno  County,  Cal. 

Next  was  a  little  daughter  between  seven  and 
eight  years  old,  now  Mrs.  Ellen  L.  Sanders,  living 
in  Nacozari,  Sonora,  Mexico.  This  lady  is  consid- 


234  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

Mllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll II ii  i  ill  ii iiiiMiMiiiiiMiiiimiiiiiimiiimiiiiiiiliiiniiin 

ered  to  be  one  of  Utah's  foremost  literary  women. 

Last  was  Baby  Rosamond,  only  fifteen  months 
old,  who  is  now  Mrs.  Geo.  Sutherland,  wife  of  the 
U.  S.  Senator  from  Utah.  Besides  these  five  child- 
ren of  their  own,  there  was  a  little  English  girl 
named  Jane  Hall,  whose  father  had  left  her  tempor- 
arily with  the  Lees  while  he  went  in  search  of  a 
home  and  employment.  She  was  about  thirteen 
years  old.  These  six  children  would  have  made  a 
costly  sacrifice  to  be  offered  up  on  the  alter  of 
redhanded  violence. 

The  Indian  spokesman  who  hailed  Mr.  Lee  by 
name,  said  that  he  was  Too-witch-ee-Tick-a-boo, 
a  very  good  friend,  who  was  hungry.  Would  his 
friend  John  open  the  door  and  give  him  break- 
milk-matches,  etc.,  Mr.  Lee,  after  some  talk,  said 
to  his  wife,  "We  have  always  been  such  good  friends 
with  the  Indians,  can  it  be  possible  that  all  this  is 
a  mistake?"  "Not  possible!"  she  replied  "that  all 
this  shooting  is  any  mistake."  The  Indian  con- 
tinued to  plead  and  protest  until  Mr.  Lee  said  a.'ain 
to  his  wife,  "I  have  so  little  ammunition  that  I  can 
not  fight  long ;  and  when  it  is  all  gone,  we  should  be 
at  their  mercy,  and  they  would  be  still  more  an- 
gry than  they  are  now.  What  do  you  think!" 

"I  think  just  this:  They  are  not  angry  at  all — 
have  no  occasion  to  be  so.  They  have  simply  made 
up  their  minds  to  kill  us.  We  will  fight  as  long  as 
there  is  one  shot  left,  and  trust  in  God.  Let  mt 
answer  once."  "No,"  she  called  to  the  Indian, 
"you  are  not  Tick-a-boo!  We  will  not  open  the 
door!  If  you  come  in  here,  we  will  shoot  you!" 

The  Indian  laughed,  and  said,  "Oh!  Squair 
shoot!  Now  me  scared!  Yes,  now  me  scared!" 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  235 

•III! lllllll m  1 1  HUM iiimiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiii mil  in  inn lllll IIIIIIMIMIIIIIIIIMM 

Mr.  Lee  hastened  to  speak  again  lest  the  enemy- 
suppose  that  the  woman  had  spoken  because  he  was 
disabled. 

Now  the  defenders  learned  the  real  reason  for 
the  stay  of  proceedings  and  the  parley;  for  little 
puffs  and  lines  of  smoke  began  to  come  in  between 
the  roof  and  the  walls  of  the  unceiled  rooms.  The 
Indians  had  brought  sagebrush  and  pushed  bundles 
of  it  with  poles  up  under  the  eaves,  and  fired  them. 

Providentially,  there  had  been  snow  sometime 
lately,  and  although  the  most  of  it  was  gone  from 
sight,  the  roof  of  boards  and  slabs  was  so  damp  it 
would  not  blaze.  The  underside,  with  the  burning 
brush  against  it,  took  fire  but  only  smoudered,  and 
poured  into  the  rooms  clouds  of  bitter  smoke.  It 
floated  high  for  awhile,  and  then  settled  down  like 
doom  upon  the  defenseless  inmates.  It  grew  so 
dense  that  strangulation  threatened ;  and  baby  Rose 
gasped  and  struggled  so  that  she  seemed  about  to 
die.  At  one  time  some  one  discovered  that  under 
the  best  bed  was  better  air,  and  Mary  was  appointed 
to  take  the  child  there  and  tend  her.  The  other 
children  stuck  their  heads  into  cupboards  and  even 
the  dutch  oven,  and  wherever  they  could  find  a  little 
air.  There  was  still  a  little  water  in  the  house,  which 
was  hoarded  carefully.  The  wounded  man  contin- 
ously  moaned  for  water,  the  baby  drank  eagerly, 
the  others  must  have  a  few  sips,  and  there  was  very 
little  to  spare  for  the  fire,  but  that  little  was  cautious- 
ly applied  so  as  not  to  waste  one  precious  drop. 

Emma  had  used  some  to  make  a  cup  of  coffee 
for  her  father  who  dared  not  be  off  his  guard  for  a 
single  minute;  and  she  had  also  given  the  children 
drinks  of  milk  and  bits  of  bread;  but  the  parents 


236  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

had  no  time  for  eating. 

The  smoke  thickened  till  the  wounded  man 
groaned  in  distress ;  and  Charles,  Emma  and  Janey 
Hall  took  turns  in  fanning  him  while  they  breathed 
through  damp  handkerchiefs,  and  coughed  in  a  way 
that  must  have  been  music  to  the  ears  of  their  would- 
be  murderers.  Charles  could  even  lift  the  head  of 
the  fallen  youth  to  give  him  water,  and  did  so  until 
he  was  nearly  as  bloody  as  the  patient.  As  the  din 
increased,  and  more  shots  flew  through  the  stifling 
smoke,  Charles  and  Janey  went  together  to  the 
mother  to  ask  what  they  could  do  to  help. 

"You  poor  children,"  she  answered,  "there  is 
nothing  more  you  can  do  with  your  hands ;  but  you 
might  pray  with  all  your  might  for  God  in  heaven  to 
help  us — He  only  can ; ' '  and  those  two  children  knelt 
down  amidst  all  that  blood  and  smoke  and  uproar, 
and  prayed  with  all  the  unstudied  earnestness  of 
trusting  childhood ;  and  who  shall  say  they  were  not 
heard  ? 

About  this  time  some  Indian  inserted  the  tines 
of  a  pitchfork  into  the  closing  of  the  east  door,  and 
burst  off  the  frail  wooden  button,  but  the  cupboard 
barricade  did  not  allow  the  door  to  open  more  than 
an  inch  or  two.  Here  the  darkness  within  gave  Mr. 
Lee  his  first  real  advantage  over  his  assailants.  He 
taw,  without  pressing  near  enough  to  be  seen,  an 
Indian  raising  his  gun  to  fire  through  the  crexice; 
and  he  turned  loose  with  the  old  shotgun  at  point 
blank  range. 

A  wild  yell,  followed  by  dreadful  shrieks,  groans 
«nd  howls,  was  the  result  of  this,  the  second  shot 
from  the  gun,  which  fairly  tore  away  the  right 
shoulder  of  the  Indian.  Almost  immediately,  Mr. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  237 

Lee  saw  another  Indian  at  a  few  rods  distance  ram* 
mmg  a  load  into  Ms  gun.  He  sent  the  load  fromt  he 
other  barrel  after  this  besieger,  and  handed  liie  gun 
to  his  wife  to  be  reloaded;  while  with  his  revolver 
in  hand,  he  continued  his  watch  through  that  danger- 
ous but  convenient  opening. 

The  Indian  who  received  that  last  shot,  had 
seemed  to  think  he  was  out  of  range ;  for  when  the 
charge  struck  him,  he  dropped  his  gun  and  sprang 
straight  upward  with  a  suppressed,  guttural  cry 
that  seemed  to  express  as  much  surprise  as  pain.  By 
this  time  the  Indians  decided  that  they  had  no  use 
for  that  narrow  opening  in  the  door,  for  the  pitch- 
fork was  cautiously  removed ;  and  the  besieged  has- 
tened to  drive  in  a  stout  nail. 

During  this  part  of  the  action,  Emma  had  found 
an  ax  in  the  kitchen  and  stationed  herself  by  the 
west  door,  saying  grimly  that  she  would  do  her  best 
to  chop  off  a  leg  from  the  first  Indian  who  came  in 
there.  Had  the  occasion  and  the  moment  been  less 
tragic  and  desperate,  this  might  have  been  amusing ; 
for  she  was  a  delicate  girl  and  small  for  her  age; 
but  she  meant  it. 

Her  mother  smiled  drearily  at  such  training  for 
a  dainty  girl,  but  her  keenest  anxiety  in  this  terrible 
situation  was  for  her  daughter  Mary.  She  found 
and  gave  to  Mary  a  small  dagger  in  a  sheath  at- 
tached to  a  narrow  leather  belt ;  and  while  directing 
her  to  buckle  it  around  her  waist,  said  solemnly:  *''My 
daughter,  our  case  is  desperate;  and  if  the  worst 
comes,  if  the  Indians  do  break  in  on  us,  your  father, 
I  and  most  likely  all  the  rest  of  us  except  yourself 
will  be  killed  at  once ;  but  I  fear  they  would  take  you 
alive  and  put  you  to  tortures  worse  than  death,  as 


238  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

is  their  way  with  women  prisoners.  Let  me  beg  you 
to  wear  this  dagger  and  do  not  let  them  take  you 
alive." 

Mary  who  had  been  so  brave  until  now,  almost 
fainted  on  hearing  this;  and,  pale  to  the  lipe,  she 
sighed  "Oh,  I  couldn't — hurt  a  fly."  Her  mother 
urged  her  to  be  brave,  and  added,  *  *  I  wore  that  dag- 
ger through  a  time  of  danger — "  and  Mary,  with  a 
great  effort,  put  by  her  weakness  and  returned  to  her 
duties. 

The  uproar  on  the  outside  gradually  subsided; 
and  the  smoke  on  the  inside  thinned  a  little,  probably 
being  drawn  up  through  the  two  chimneys. 

The  besieged  waited  with  straining  ears  to  learn 
what  new  deviltry  was  to  be  practiced  on  them,  while 
the  slow  minutes  dragged  along.  The  baby,  pale 
and  gasping,  grew  so  weak  and  faint,  that  the  mother 
in  desperation  took  her  to  a  west  window  which  she 
opened  enough  to  give  the  child  a  few  breaths  of 
outside  air.  The  father  ran  in  alarm  to  see  what 
had  happened;  and  on  seeing  the  condition  of  the 
child,  took  up  his  guard  there  as  long  as  they  both 
dared.  Then  he  said,  "I  will  rush  out  and  get 
water  to  drink  and  to  throw  on  the  fire. ' ' 

The  wife  protested  earnestly,  against  this,  so 
did  the  children.  Mrs.  Lee  believed  that  the  treach- 
erous foe  had  only  pretended  to  go  away,  hoping  to 
entice  him,  the  only  fighting  man,  to  go  on  this  very 
errand,  so  they  might  pick  him  off  easily.  "If  he 
were  killed,"  she  urged,  "the  others  very  soon 
would  be." 

He  yielded  to  their  entreaties;  and  Mrs.  Lee, 
who  was  never  known  to  flinch  in  the  face  of  duty, 
and  Mary,  who  had  already  concluded  that  an  In- 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  239 

MIIIIIII iMiiiiiiirniiiii.nl IMII 1. 1  MM  1 1  in  1 1 i  minium  1 1. n  i  minium  minium  illinium 

dian  bullet  would  be  far  better  than  a  dagger  in 
her  own  hand,  took  buckets,  and  when  the  barricade 
had  been  removed  from  the  back  door,  while  the 
husband  and  father  stood  at  guard  for  them,  they 
ran  to  the  stream,  only  a  rod  or  two  from  the  south 
end  of  the  house,  and  secured  water. 

The  opening  of  the  door  (which  was  hastily  bar- 
ricade again)  released  a  volume  of  smoke,  the 
water  relieved  their  aching  throats  and  smarting 
eyes,  and  with  it  they  finally  extinguished  the  fire. 
There  had  been  no  demonstration  whatever  from  the> 
enemy  for  nearly  an  hour;  and  hoping  that  the  In- 
dians were  really  gone  began  to  struggle  with  the* 
fear  of  an  ambuscade,  when  Charles  came  to  his 
parents  with  a  grave  proposal  that  they  allow  him 
to  run  to  town  and  ask  for  help. 

They  were  horrified  at  the  bare  thought  of 
sending  out  so  young  a  child  to  go  eight  miles  on 
foot,  more  probably,  to  be  shot  down  before  their 
eyes  by  their  lurking  foes.  But  the  boy  had  the  look 
of  one  inspired  while  he  urged,  "I  know  I  can  go 
and  not  be  shot;"  and  said  he  would  not  follow  the 
wagon  road,  which  wound  among  the  ridges,  but 
would  take  a  straight  shoot  across  the  country, 
which  would  shorten  the  way  two  miles  or  more. 

The  parents  then  looked  into  each  other's  eyes 
and  agreed  without  words.  "God  is  with  the  child," 
said  the  father,  and  laying  his  hands  on  the  head  of 
his  grave  little  son,  he  solemnly  blessed  him.  The 
mother  kissed  him  just  as  solemnly,  with  all  the  dust 
and  blood  upon  him.  Then  they  opened  the  west 
window  looking  toward  town  and  the  boy  sprang 
through  and  ran  like  a  deer  until  lost  to  sight  among 
the  stunted  cedars  and  sagebrush  on  the  hillside. 


240  INDIAN  DEPKEDATIONS 

UIIIIIIIIHIIIIIItll Illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllltlllllllllllllllllillllllllllllllltllllllllllllllllllllllllllll 

His  father  remained  by  the  open  window  watch- 
ing for  sign  of  an  enemy  until  the  flying  figure 
disappeared.  Then  he  closed  the  window  and  with 
his  tired  wife  and  weary  children,  prepared  to  face 
another  interval  of  inaction  and  suspense.  But  just 
here,  Janey  raised  a  diversion  by  requesting  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lee  to  let  her  also  run  away  to  Beaver.  This 
they  assured  her  they  would  never  do.  She  was  a 
girl — nearly  thirteen  years  old — not  even  their  own 
— oh !  no !  that  was  not  to  be  thought  of — not  for  one 
moment ! 

But  the  more  they  explained  these  things  to 
Janey,  the  more  persistent  she  grew,  and  the  more 
fiercely  she  accused  them  of  allowing  one  of  their 
own  to  escape  and  save  his  life,  while  they  kept  her 
to  be  killed.  After  fifteen  minutes  to  half  an  hour 
of  screams  and  tears,  and  alternate  entreaties  and 
upbraidings  from  Janey,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee  decided 
that  only  God  in  heaven  knew  whether  it  were  less 
dangerous  to  go  or  to  stay ;  and  they  let  her  go. 

Mr.  Lee  stood  at  the  window  as  before  to  keep 
his  futile  watch  over  the  child  until  she  went  out  of 
his  sight  around  the  bend  in  the  road. 

The  sequel  proved  that  at  this  very  time  the 
Indians  were  really  gone  to  join  their  companions 
who  were  passing  with  droves  of  cattle ;  and  happy 
would  the  Lees  have  been  could  they  have  known  il. 

When  Charles  set  out,  he  felt,  as  he  said  after- 
wards, as  though  he  could  fly.  He  fixed  his  eyes  on 
a  landmark  and  never  went  a  round  a  rock  or  a  bush, 
but  leaped  over  them.  He  had  no  sense  of  fatigue 
until  he  reached  the  little  suburb  of  Beaver  which 
had  been  named  Pleasant  Point,  but  nicknamed 
Jackson  County.  There  he  saw  Mr.  Anderson  just 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  241 

Jim  i i  ii  1 1  in minimum  in iimiiiniiiiim nil lllllllllllllllllllllllllltlllllliiililiiiiiinii 

about  to  mount  a  horse  to  ride  over  to  Beaver,  about 
a  mile  distant. 

Seeing  the  boy  all  bloody  and  wild,  he  paused  to 
make  inquiry ;  and  the  boy  panted  out, ' '  The  Indians 
— fighting — Hawthorne  Dell. ' ' 

"Poor  boy,"  said  Mr.  Anderson,  "Sit  down 
here  and  rest  and  I'll  stir  up  Beaver  in  a  hurry." 

He  mounted  and  galloped  away,  and  the  boy  sat 
down  on  some  timbers  and  felt  like  he  never  could 
move  again.  He  had  lost  hat  and  shoes,  scratched 
his  flesh  and  torn  his  clothing  to  rags;  but  he  had 
accomplished  his  errand  in  a  marvelously  short 
time. 

So  did  Mr.  Anderson;  for  the  boy  was  still 
sitting  in  the  same  place  when  a  band  of  mounted 
men  whom  he  had  "scared  up,"  passed  on  their 
way  to  Hawthorne  Dell.  They  shouted  "Hello 
Bub,"  but  never  drew  rein.  Near  Birch  Creek, 
about  half  the  distance  to  the  ranch,  they  met  Janey 
Hall,  who,  to  their  surprise,  did  not  seem  frightened 
nor  excited,  but  was  walking  leisurely  along  the 
road,  and  chewing  gum  that  she  had  picked  by  the 
way.  They  greeted  her  and  passed  on,  and  she  fin- 
ished her  long  walk  alone  but  safely. 

When  the  horsemen  reached  the  ranch,  sometime 
before  noon,  they  found  no  Indians,  but  scouted 
about  and  found  plenty  of  signs.  Patches  of  frothy 
blood  on  the  top  of  the  ridge  whence  came  the  shot 
that  brought  down  young  Lilywhite  before  he  had 
a  chance  to  fire  once ;  other  blood  on  the  ground  east 
of  the  house,  and  indoors,  too.  The  dropped  rifle 
was  found  and  utterly  ruined,  and  with  its  magazine 
quite  empty.  Harness,  saddles,  tools  and  many  other 
things  were  destroyed,  all  the  horse  and  cattle  in- 


242  INDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS 


closures  were  left  empty,  and  untold  damage  done; 
but  of  the  nine  persons  beseiged  only  one  had  been 
hurt,  and  the  grain  stacks  were  safely  standing.  For 
these  mercies  Mr.  Lee  was  a  thankful  man. 

A  few  of  the  men  remained  to  assist  the  family 
while  the  others  pushed  on  after  the  Indians. 

It  did  not  take  those  on  the  trail  very  long  to 
understand  the  situation.  The  range  was  silent  and 
empty,  and  the  fat  young  cattle  found  shot  along 
the  trail,  told  them  the  whole  story.  They  knew  that 
the  relations  between  this  family  and  their  Indian 
neighbors  had  always  been  friendly,  therefore  it 
was  highly  improbable  that  this  attack  had  any  per- 
sonal ill  will  behind  it ;  but  was  made  solely  because 
the  little  ranch  lay  in  the  track  the  Indians  wanted  to 
use  in  a  great  cattle  raid.  Although  they  must  have 
known  that  the  family  was  hurrying  to  get  away  for 
the  winter,  they  could  not  postpone  the  raid  because 
they  also  knew  the  white  men  were  preparing  ior  an 
extensive  roundup,  and  they,  the  Indians  wished  to 
be  beforehand. 

These  men  followed  the  Indians  and  cattle  sixty 
or  more  miles  without  overtaking  them,  swift  as 
they  had  been  to  follow.  There  they  were  forced  to 
turn  back  because  their  hasty  preparations  were  so 
inadequate  to  a  long  march  or  for  a  hard  fight. 

At  the  farm  the  great  concern  was  lo  get  the 
wounded  man  and  the  family  away  before  night.  The 
team  was  gone,  the  harness  demolished,  the  wagon 
heaped  up  with  potatoes;  and  the  only  vehicle  that 
had  come  from  town  was  a  very  light  buggy  belong- 
ing to  Bishop  R.  Murdock.  This  could  not  even 
convey  the  wounded  man,  who  was  too  weak  from 
loss  of  blood  to  sit  erect.  Just  here  the  memorv  of 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  243 

Mrs.  Lee  (now  84  years  old)  under  whose  sanction 
and  prompting  this  chronicle  is  made,  fails  her; 
and  the  pen  woman,  who  was  not  an  eyewitness, 
supplies  from  impressions  received  at  the  time  this 
one  statement,  believed  but  not  guaranteed  to  be 
true. 

A  good  brother  named  Alonzo  Colton,  from 
Minersvile,  was  on  his  way  to  a  sawmill  farther  up 
in  the  mountains  to  get  a  load  of  lumber.  He  arrived 
at  Hawthorne  Dell  when  it  began  to  look  as  if  there 
was  nothing  to  do  but  to  send  to  Beaver  for  convey- 
ance and  await  its  coming,  a  most  dread  alternative. 
On  hearing  of  the  dilemma,  Mr.  Colton  promptly  un- 
hitched his  team,  and  leaving  his  " running  gear" 
standing,  hitched  on  to  Mr.  Lee 's  wagon,  from  which 
the  potatoes  were  hastily  " dumped."  The  sick  man 
in  his  bed  and  the  wife  and  children  were  then  load- 
ed in,  and  Mr.  Colton  himself  drove  them  down  the 
mountain  road  to  their  home,  where  they  arrived  at 
about  five  o  'clock,  p.  m. 

Now  if  this  statement  be  not  correct,  Mr.  Col- 
ton or  any  surviving  member  of  his  family  is  at 
liberty  to  deny  it;  and  she  who  wrongfully  accuses 
him  stands  ready  to  apologize  amply.  One  thing, 
however,  that  she  knows  to  be  a  fact,  is  that  when, 
some  days  later,  threshing  was  done,  this  same  Mr. 
Colton  with  his  own  wagon  and  team  brought  down 
one  or  more  loads  of  the  crop,  and  never  would  ac- 
cept one  cent  of  pay.  For  this  kindness  to  fellow- 
creatures  in  distress,  he  is  gratefully  remembered 
to  this  day;  also  others  who  freely  rendered  assist- 
ance at  a  time  of  need. 

This  murderous  and  unprovoked  attack  took 
place  on  the  23rd  of  October,  A.  D.  1866.  Mr.  Lee, 


244  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

who  is  not  now  living,  always  considered  it  a  divine 
intervention  that  prompted  him  to  put  his  fire-arms 
into  good  condition  just  on  the  eve  of  such  dire 
need.  He  fired  only  three  shot,  (having  no  ammuni- 
tion to  waste),  but  every  one  reached  its  mark.  The 
Indians  at  the  time  made  themselves  scarce,  and 
knew  absolutely  nothing;  but  in  after  years  they 
said  Mr.  Lee  was  a  Big  Chief — a  Brave — and  that 
he  had  killed  three  bad  Indians  who  had  tried  to  kill 
him.  These  were  the  Piutes,  whose  home  was  in  Bea- 
ver County,  and  who  knew  every  member  of  Mr. 
Lee 's  family  well,  and  often  visited  them  at  the  farm. 
It  is  even  probable  that  the  very  matches  used  to  fire 
the  dwelling  had  been  begged  from  the  intended 
victims.  One  queer  thing  not  yet  mentioned  is  that 
when  the  east  door  of  the  house  was  finally  opened, 
it  was  found  piled  high  with  sagebrush  that  had  not 
been  fired;  and  after  much  wonder  why  this  dry 
door  was  left  unburned  while  the  wet  roof  had  so 
much  effort  spent  on  it  in  vain,  the  conclusion  was 
finally  reached  that  after  the  brush  was  heaped 
against  the  door,  the  Indians  found  they  had  used 
all  their  matches.  If  so,  it  was  certainly  an  error  of 
judgment  on  their  part,  because  the  door  would  have 
burned  readily. 

Joseph  Lillywhite  recovered  from  his  wound; 
but  it  is  said  that  he  never  became  the  strong  man 
that  his  robust  youth  promised,  and  did  not  live  to 
reach  middle  age. 

Such  were  many  of  the  experiences  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Utah. 


INDIAN  DEPBEDATIONS  245 

iimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiii Illlllllllllllinillllllllllllillinil 

ACCOUNT   OF   THE  WAR   IN   WASATCH   COUNTY 
AND  VICINITY. 

Wasatch  County,  Utah,  which  was  somewhat  ad- 
jacent to  the  Indian  rendezvous  in  the  DuChesne 
country  had  its  share  of  Indian  troubles  during  the 
Black  Hawk  war  in  1866.  The  following  from  the 
writing  of  John  Crook  of  Heber  City : 

In  the  early  spring  of  1866,  instructions  came 
from  military  headquarters,  Salt  Lake  City  to  pre- 
pare for  Indian  troubles,  and  to  guard  our  stock  and 
vicinity,  and  we  were  informed  that  officials  would 
^arrive  to  organize  us  and  place  us  on  a  war  footing. 

In  the  month  of  April,  1866,  we  began  to  build 
corrals  for  our  dry-stock  in  Boss  Hollow,  eight  miles 
north,  and  also  a  large  corral  in  Heber  City  for  the 
cow-herd. 

On  the  25th  of  May,  1866,  Col.  Robert  T.  Bur- 
ton and  Drill  Sergeant  D.  G.  Ross  arrived,  and  or- 
ganized the  militia  in  the  valley,  with  John  W.  Witt 
as  Major  and  Charles  H.  Wilkins  as  adjutant  of 
company  (A)  " cavalry."  Company  (D)  was  com- 
posed of  Silver  Grays,  and  these  two  companies 
formed  the  first  Battalion. 

Companies  B  and  C  formed  the  second  battal- 
ios,  and  was  commasded  by  John  Hamilton  as 
major  and  John  Crook  as  adjutant. 

All  on  the  west  side  of  the  Provo  River  prin- 
cipally Midway  formed  a  separate  command,  a  bat- 
talion, with  Sidney  H.  Epperson  as  major  and 
David  Van  Wagonen  as  adjutant,  this  company  con- 
sisted of  both  cavalry  and  infantry. 


246  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

All  the  settlers  on  the  east  side  of  the  Provo 
Biver  moved  to  Heber  City.  On  the  25th  and  26th 
of  May  a  two  days  drill  was  ordered,  and  a  sham 
battle  was  participated  in  on  which  occasion  Col. 
Robert  T.  Burton  called  the  troops  into  a  hollow 
square.  This  being  done  Col.  Burton  said,  "Now 
you  are  organized  on  a  war  footing,  go  to  work 
and  put  out  your  guards  and  scouts,  and  protect 
yourselves. ' ' 

The  previous  winter  had  been  a  very  severe 
one,  and  with  deep  snow  in  the  mountains  we  did 
not  expect  that  the  Indians  would  come  over  so 
soon. 

FIRST  INDIAN  RAID. 

About  the  middle  of  May,  1866,  a  band  of  In- 
dians came  over  the  mountains,  no  doubt  in  the 
night,  the  snow  being  crusted.  They  gathered  up 
some  forty  or  fifty  head  of  stock  on  the  east  range, 
and  drove  them  over  no  doubt  while  the  snow  was 
yet  crusted.  Wm.  McDonald  while  hunting  cattle 
came  across  the  trail.  Adjutant  WilMns  and  Lieuten- 
ant McDonald  started  with  a  posse  of  men  in  pursuit 
and  reached  the  trail  in  the  middle  of  the  day.  The 
snow  being  soft  the  horses  plunged  to  their  bellies 
and  the  expedition  had  to  give  up  the  chase  and 
return  home.  Wm.  Bradley  Sessions  who  had  a 
big  family  lost  seven  cows  in  this  raid,  the  Indians 
taking  all  he  had.  This  raid  was  made  before  the 
county  militia  was  organized. 

For  information  I  will  describe  the  lay  of  the 
country.  Three  canyons  leads  from  Provo  Valley  to 
the  dividing  ridge  between  said  valley  and  the  In- 
dian Reservation.  The  center  one  is  Lake  Creek 


INDIAN  DEPBEDATIONS  247 

niiiiiiiiiliiiiimiiiiimmiiimniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiifi iiniiii i  u  i  IIM  IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIMMII  n  mi  i 

running  due  east,  through  this  canyon  an  Indian 
trail  leads  over  into  the  west  fork  of  the  Duchesne 
Kiver,  and  it  was  only  forty  miles  from  Heber  to 
the  Indian  colony  on  said  river  by  way  of  this  trail. 

After  re-organization  of  the  militia  we  placed 
guards,  "The  Silver  Grays,"  on  the  north 
and  south  of  Main  Street  in  Heber  City  and  a 
guard  at  the  grit  mill,  one  mile  east,  also  three 
sets  of  scouts  for  the  three  canyons,  patrolling  the 
ridge  between  the  Reservation  and  Provo  Valley. 
They  were  on  duty  both  day  and  night,  and  were 
changed  every  four  days. 

On  the  27th  of  May  an  expedition  started  to  the 
Uintah  Indian  Reservation.  Col.  Head,  the  Indian 
agent,  was  along  with  Col.  Robert  T.  Burton  and 
Sergeant  Ross,  with  supplies  for  the  Indiass ;  there 
were  also  three  men  with  one  hundred  head  of  beef 
cattle  for  the  Indians,  a  present  from  Brigham. 
Young  (church  donation)  Col.  Head  asking  for  an 
escort  of  the  militia,  the  following  were  chosen  to 
compose  the  escort. 

Captain  Wm.  M.  Wall,  Lieut.  Joseph  McDonald, 
Serg't  John  McDonald;  Privates:  John  J.  Cum- 
mings,  Wm.  B.  Sessions,  Hyrum  Oakes,  Joseph  Mc- 
Carrol,  George  Boner,  Nymphus  C.  Murdock,  Wil- 
liam Forman,  Stanley  Davis,  Steven  Taylor  of  Salt 
Lake  City,  Alma  Huntington,  George  Carlile.  The 
expedition  was  gone  twelve  days. 

The  personnel  of  a  Second  Platoon  composing 
the  escort  is  the  following: 

Lieut.  Patrick  Caroll,  Serg't  Edward  Branson 
Privates :  Wm.  Giles,  Jr.,  Eph.  Van  Wagenon,  Jerry 
Robey,  Zeke  Bates,  Emanuel  Richman,  James  Carlile, 
John  Acomb,  Stephen  Moore.  Teams  and  teamsters : 


248  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

N.  C.  Murdock's  team,  Ben.  A.  Norris,  driver,  John 
W.  Witts  team,  Willard  Carroll  driver,  Hyrum 
Oakes,  team,  Isaac  0.  Wall,  driver. 

This  Platoon  and  outfit  was  gone  ten  days. 
They  were  corralled  four  day  in  a  log  cabin  sur- 
rounded by  three  hundred  "to-buck"  (angry)  In- 
dians, who  didn't  want  the  cattle  but  wanted  Mor- 
mon scalps.  The  agent  prevailed  on  the  Indians  to 
let  them  go. 

On  July  8th,  1866,  a  second  expedition  was  sent 
to  the  reservation  with  Indian  supplies. 

Following  are  the  names  of  the  parties,  con- 
stituting this  expedition: 

Major  John  Hamilton,  Lieut.  Joseph  McCarroll 
(infantry),  Adjutant  Charles  Wilkin,  Capt.  Wm.  M. 
Wall,  lieut.  Wm.  McDonald,  and  Privates  Nym- 
phus  C.  Murdock,  George  Giles  (blacksmith)  William 
Gallagher,  Joseph  Thomas,  George  F.  Giles,  Henry 
Luke  (interpreter)  Albert  McMullen,  John  Harvey, 
Jr.,  James  Allred,  Richard  Jones,  Wm.  M.  Giles,  Mo- 
roni Duke,  James  Shanks,  commissary  for  the  expe- 
dition and  Privates  Ira  N.  Jacobs,  George  Boner, 
James  B.  Hamilton,  A.  Thompson  and  Emanuel 
Eichman  (teamster.) 

This  expedition  numbering  23  men  was  gone 
eight  days,  from  the  8th  to  the  16th  of  July. 

While  this  party  was  over  at  the  Reservation 
a  raid  was  made  on  Thomas  Handley's  corral,  in 
Heber  City,  where  Indians  took  two  oxen  and  a  hei- 
fer. 

This  raid  will  be  explained  as  the  raid  in  which 
Jas.  A.  Ross  and  others  figured. 


INDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS  249 


SECOND  RAID  ON  STOCK. 

After  the  second  expedition  had  started  for  the 
Reservation  and  while  the  expedition  was  still  there 
between  the  8th  and  16th  of  July,  1866,  some  Indians 
came  into  the  eastern  part  of  Heber  and  took  two 
oxen  and  a  heifer  from  Tom.  Handley 's  corral ;  they 
left  a  bell-cow.  William  Foreman,  who  was  on  guard 
at  the  lake,  found  the  tracks  at  daylight.  A  shower 
having  fallen  during  the  night  he  rushed  to  Heber 
and  reported.  Handley's  stock  being  found  miss- 
ing, James  A.  Ross,  Joseph  S.  Parker,  Sid  Carter 
and  Isaac  Cummings  started  in  a  hurry  on  the  trail 
and  when  down  about  eight  miles  on  the  west  Du- 
chesne  they  saw  smoke  in  the  timber.  Leaving  their 
horses  and  crawling  up  close  to  the  timber,  they 
saw  the  Indians  roasting  meat,  they  having  killed 
the  heifer.  One  Indian  was  sitting  on  the  paunch 
while  the  others  were  lying  down.  By  signs  each 
of  the  men  in  pursuit  took  aim  at  an  object  and 
fired.  The  Indian  on  the  paunch  fell  over  and  the 
others  crawled  into  the  brush.  The  boys  got  the 
oxen  and  also  the  Indians'  horses  and  effects  and 
some  of  the  meat,  which  they  brought  home,  and 
they  did  not  look  to  see  how  many  Indians  were 
killed. 

This  occurred  when  the  militia  was  at  the  Res- 
ervation. Lieutenant  McDonald  was  conversing 
with  some  Indians  when  another  Indian  rode  up 
very  excited  pointing  to  the  hills  and  motioned  for 
another  horse.  It  was  rumored  that  a  wounded  In- 
dian was  brougt  in  before  the  company  left.  Putting 
these  items  together,  they  tally  with  circumstan- 


250  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


ces  connected  with  the  raid  on  Mr.  Handley's  cattle 
at  that  time. 

By  request  of  Commander  James  D.  Shanks. 
Adjutant  Lindsey  sends  an  account  of  an  incident 
which  happened  in  conection  with  the  second  expedi- 
tion from  Provo  Valley.  After  delivering  the  sup- 
plies to  the  Indians,  part  of  the  company  decided 
to  come  back  to  Heber  by  way  of  the  short  cut,  or 
Indian  trail.  Captain  Wm.  M.  Wall,  Charles  H. 
Wilcken,  Nymphus  C.  Murdock,  George  Bonner,  Jos. 
McCarrel,  Ira  Jacobs  and  Wm.  Gallagher  and  two 
or  three  others  were  in  this  company.  This  route 
led  them  down  Lake  Creek  Canyon  which  is  east  of 
Heber  and  runs  to  the  ridge  between  this  Valley  and 
the  old  Reservation,  scouts  were  kept  on  this  ridge 
all  through  the  summer.  The  day  before  these  men 
came  over  the  ridge  the  scouts  came  to  Heber  and  re- 
ported that  they  had  seen  Indians  encamped  in  a 
grove  near  the  head  of  Lake  Creek. 

Twelve  men  on  foot  were  sent  out  that  night 
with  orders  to  get  well  up  into  the  canyon  before  day 
light  to  surround  the  Indians.  They  reached  the 
appointed  place  by  nine  or  ten  o  'clock  a.  m.  and  exa- 
mined the  grove.  They  saw  no  Indians,  but  found  a 
fresh  trail  leading  down  towards  Heber. 

This  company  consisted  of  W.  B.  Sessions,  Isaac 
Baum,  John  and  Geo.  Muir,  Jesse  Bond,  Lewis  Mec- 
ham,  Thos.  Handley,  G.  A.  Wilson,  Dickson  Green 
and  three  others.  After  following  the  trail  three 
miles,  they  came  onto  what  they  supposed  were  In- 
dians, lying  in  a  sort  of  grassy  and  shadj  place,  and 
without  waiting  for  orders  two  of  the  men  fired.  The 
result  was  that  N.  C.  Murdock  was  grazed  by  a 
bullet  on  his  left  wrist  and  shot  in  the  right  leg. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  251 


HUH  i  mm  mum  MI  i  m 


The  bullet  shattering  the  shin  bone.  George  Bonner 
was  shot  through  the  thigh,  the  bullet  coming  so  near 
through  that  it  was  cut  out  with  a  pocket  knife. 

Wm.  M.  Wall  had  a  marvelous  escape,  a  bullet 
passed  around  the  rim  of  his  belly,  making  nine  holes 
in  his  vest  and  shirt,  but  never  breaking  his  skin. 
It  has  always  been  considered  a  miracle  that  Cap- 
tain Wall  was  not  killed.  It  was  also  through  the 
alertness  of  our  scouts  just  a  few  days  before,  that 
J.  A.  Ross  and  three  companions  were  able  to  over- 
take those  three  Indians  who  took  Thomas  Handley's 
oxen  and  heifer  out  of  his  corral,  right  in  Heber,  and 
they  brought  back  the  oxen  and  the  Indians '  horses, 
also  a  white  mule  that  had  been  stolen  by  the  Indians 
down  on  the  Sevier  River. 

One  Indian  was  known  to  have  been  killed  at 
the  time,  and  another  wounded;  one  got  away. 

Written  by  Wm.  Lindsey,  and  corroborated  by 
James  D.  Shank,  commander  Wasatch  Department, 
Indian  War  Veterans, — who  was  Commissary  at  the 
time. 

THIRD  RAID. 

About  August,  Indians  took  John  Muir's  mules 
and  John  Turner's  horses  out  of  a  pasture  adjoining 
Heber  City  east.  Through  friendly  Indians  Mr.  Tur- 
ner got  back  his  horses,  but  Mr.  Muir's  mules,  two 
fine  ones,  failed  to  return. 

FOURTH  RAID. 

About  the  20th  of  August  Indians  took  John 
Lee's  horses  from  his  pasture,  one  mile  east  of 
Heber  City.  Mr.  Lee  had  moved  from  his  farm  to 
the  east  line  of  the  city,  and  had  just  taken  the 


252  INDIAN  DEPKEDATIONS 

animals  to  the  pasture,  when  on  looking  east, 
he  saw  the  Indians  driving  the  horses  out  of  the  pas- 
ture. He  gave  the  alarm.  The  Indians  drove  the 
horses  along  the  foot  hills,  east  and  north  aiming  to 
strike  the  Park  City  road  north  of  Heber.  A  com- 
pany of  men  started  to  head  them  off.  William  Mc- 
Donald who  lived  on  his  farm  on  said  road  and 
owned  a  good  horse,  mounted  this  horse  bare  back 
and  started  in  pursuit,  but  the  Indians  struck  the 
road  before  Mr.  McDonald.  A  race  ensued,  but  be- 
fore Mr  McDonald  could  reach  the  river  bridge  six 
miles  north,  the  Indians  ran  the  horses  across  the 
Provo  River  and  into  some  brush  where  they  left 
them,  and  then  hurried  away. 

The  boys  brought  the  horses  back.  About  ten 
days  later  the  Indians  stole  the  same  horses  again, 
out  of  the  same  pasture.  On  this  occasion  Mr.  Lee 
got  one  horse  back  by  paying  an  Indian  for  getting 
it. 

FIFTH  RAID. 

In  September,  1866,  the  Indians  broke  into  Wm. 
Bell's  stable  south  of  Heber  and  stole  a  fine  pair 
of  mares  "called  Island  stock".  These  animals 
were  young  and  full  of  life,  and  had  not  been  han- 
dled much.  It  appeared  that  the  Indians  had  had 
a  struggle  with  them  in  the  sage  brush.  The  next 
morning  they  were  found  shot.  About  this  time,  or 
perhaps  a  little  later,  Charles  H.  Wilkin  went  to  his 
saw-mill  in  Center  Creek  canyon  with  two  yoke  of 
oxen,  which  he  turned  out  in  the  evening.  The  next 
morning  they  were  gone.  Major  Witt  and  Adj't. 
Wilkin  went  to  the  Reservation  and  got  three  of 
them  back;  one  had  been  killed  and  eaten.  It  was 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  253 

quite  a  risk  for  these  two  men  to  go  on  such  an 
expedition  alone. 

From  a  report  filed  Oct.  8th,  1866,  by  Major 
John  Hamilton,  who  was  in  command,  we  learn  that 
Indians  had  stolen  some  horses  from  stables  in  the 
south  part  of  Heber  City,  and  had  driven  them 
south,  following  a  ridge  to  the  river.  Thence  up  a 
canyon  over  the  ridge,  thence  into  American  Fork 
Canyon,  and  thence  down  to  the  north  end  of  Utah 
Lake,  across  Jordan  Bridge  and  thence  into  Cedar 
Valley,  going  west. 

A  company  of  sixteen  started  in  pursuit  and 
when  they  reached  the  Jordan  Bridge  they  learned 
that  the  Indians  had  crossed  there  before  day-light. 
The  boys  followed  the  thieves  into  Cedar  Valley  and 
met  some  teams  hauling  wood.  The  wood-haulers 
gaid  that  they  had  seen  some  Indians  and  horses 
two  hours  previous  on  the  run.  As  the  pursuers 
realized  that  they  were  at  least  two  hours  behind 
the  Indians  they  concluded  that  following  further 
would  be  a  fruitless  chase,  as  the  Indians  before 
they  could  be  overtaken  would  be  on  their  own 
grounds  and  the  horses  hidden  away.  It  was  there- 
fore decided  to  give  up  the  chase,  and  the  boys  con- 
sequently returned  to  their  homes. 

Following  are  the  names  of  those  who  partici-' 
pated  in  this  expedition: 

Major  John  Hamilton,  Capt.  Wm.  M.  Wall, 
Lieutenants  James  A.  Boss  and  Patrick  Carroll, 
Sergeants  Philip  L.  Smith  and  Geo.  A.  Wilson  and 
Privates  John  Acomb,  Joseph  Parker,  A.  McMullen, 
Sol.  Sessions,  Geo.  F.  Giles,  Wm.  Gallagher,  Wm. 
M.  Giles,  Orson  Hicken,  Eobt.  Broadhead  and  Frank 
Fraughton. 


254  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

MlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllltllllllllllllllllllllllrllllllllllllllllllllllllllllUIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIK 

ACCOUNT  OF  THE  WAR  IN  WASATCH 
COUNTY  CONTINUED. 

The  spring  of  1867  was  late  and  the  snow  deep 
in  the  hills.  We  put  out  our  guards,  but  no  Indians 
troubled  us  until  about  the  middle  of  July.  We  had 
a  special  scout  independent  of  the  usual  scouts, 
namely  John  Cummings,  who  on  a  certain  occasion 
found  in  a  side  Canyon  an  Indian  who  had  skinned 
an  ox  and  was  in  the  act  of  cutting  up  the  meat. 
Mr.  Cummings  covered  the  Indian  with  his  rifle 
and  drove  him  ahead  of  him  to  Heber  City  where  he 
was  kept  under  guard  three  days.  A  court  marshal 
decided  to  write  a  note  to  Chief  Tabby,  advising 
him  to  keep  his  Indian  at  home,  and  also  asking 
Tabby  to  come  over  and  make  peace  with  us.  We 
gave  the  note  to  the  Indian  and  told  him  to  go  im- 
mediately to  the  Reservation,  give  the  note  to  Chief 
Tabby  like  a  good  Indian.  Two  guards  went  with 
him  to  see  him  over  the  ridge. 

About  a  month  later,  or  about  the  15th  or  20th 
of  August,  Chief  Tabby  with  his  whole  tribe,  squaws, 
pappoosses  and  peaceable  Indians  that  he  could 
control  came  here.  The  Chief  said  that  he  could 
not  control  those  of  his  Indians  who  were  with 
Black  Hawk.  We  had  a  bowery  in  which  we  held 
summer  meetings,  and  in  this  we  set  large  tables, 
and  the  ladies  furnished  a  good  picnic  for  the 
Indians.  An  ox  was  killed  and  roasted,  (a  fine 
barbeque)  and  the  Indians  filled  up  good;  the  pipe 
of  peace  was  passed  around,  and  the  Indians 
after  stopping  a  few  days  returned  home  with  a 
few  good  presents.  On  leaving  our  valley  these  In- 
dians stole  thirty  of  our  horses. 


INDIAN  DBPBBDATIONS  I      255 

WllItllilllMIIMIIIIllllllllllllIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIllltlllllllllllllllllllllllllMilllllllllllllllltllllllllltllllMIIIIIIIIIIIII 

This  occurrence  ended  the  raids  in  our  valley, 
and  we  still  kept  up  our  guards  and  scouts  in  the 
hills. 

Concerning  further  Indian  troubles  in  Wasatch 
County  in  1867  John  Crook  wrote  the  following: 

The  expeditions  reported  in  the  foregoing  de- 
tails are  from  the  original  records  in  charge  of 
John  Crook  who  was  adjutant  to  Major  John  Ham- 
ilton at  the  time.  Other  information  is  from  par- 
ties who  took  part  in  the  different  expeditions  and 
from  personal  knowledge  and  memory.  The  guards 
and  scouts  were  mostly  from  the  infantry  and 
the  Silver  Grays.  The  cavalry  was  kept  as  min- 
ute men  to  be  ready  to  go  at  a  minute's  notice. 
There  were  about  260  men  enrolled  in  the  militia 
in  Provo  Valley.  At  this  time  (1914)  the  sur- 
vivors are  reduced  to  about  thirty-five. 

I  have  written  this  by  an  order  and  sanction 
of  the  Veterans  and  they  pronounce  it  0.  K.  this 
7th  day  of  November,  1914.  John  Crook. 

COL.  PIERCE  AND  ANDREWS  ENGAGE    ,  , 
INDIANS  NEAR  ST.  GEORGE. 

Early  in  January  1867  the  Navajoes  made  a 
raid  on  the  horse  herd  in  Washington  County.  This 
being  just  after  New  Year,  it  was  an  intimation  of 
what  might  be  expected  in  other  places ;  in  this  in- 
stance however,  the  success  of  the  savages  was  of 
short  duration.  Captain  James  Andrus  led  a  party 
of  Saint  George  cavalry  in  pursuit,  overtook  the 
thieves,  killed  eleven  of  them  and  recovered  the 
horses. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


minium it 


RAID   ON  PINE   VALLEY,   INDIANS   OVERTAKEN, 
ELEVEN  KILLED. 

From  David  Chidester  the  following  additional 
particulars  are  obtained.  On  the  night  of  Jan.  18th, 
1867,  the  Navajo  and  some  Shevete  Indians  gathered 
stock  from  Shoal  Creek  down  along  Black  Eidge. 
When  Col.  J.  D.  L.  Pierce  and  his  company  found  the 
tracks,  they  followed  them  to  the  end  of  the  ridge, 
some  ten  or  fifteen  miles.  The  militia  kept  in  a 
wash  as  much  as  possible,  and  saw  in  the  distance 
what  appeared  to  be  a  small  whirl-wind,  but  which 
proved  to  be  smoke  from  the  Indians  camp-fire. 
The  cavalry  came  upon  the  Indians  unawares,  and 
killed  twelve  of  them  and  put  the  rest  to  flight; 
they  recovered  nearly  all  the  stock,  about  two  hun- 
dred head,  but  some  of  the  Indians  had  separated 
were  seen,  but  not  found.  While  the  fight  was  in 
from  the  rest,  as  the  tracks  of  two  large  mules 
progress  the  stock  started  back  the  way  they  came, 
and  were  not  overtaken  till  they  had  preceded  about 
six  miles. 

As  spring  advanced  Black-Hawk  and  his  band 
from  the  Elk  Mountains  region  made,  their  way 
nortlrward.  In  March,  1867,  General  Snow  was  in 
Glenwood  confined  to  his  bed  with  sickness,  and  the 
people  were  not  looking  for  trouble  with  the  Indians 
so  early  in  the  season.  However,  they  were  prepar- 
ing for  future  trouble  by  building  a  rock  fort  about 
two  miles  west  of  Glenwood,  which  was  considered 
a  safer  place  than  Glenwood,  being  farther  away 
from  the  mountains,  or  out  in  the  open  valley,  but  the 
location  was  not  good,  as  it  was  low  land  and  without 


MARK    LINDSEY 


The  above  cut  shows  the 
flag  of  the  1st  Battalion  3rd  Regi- 
ment of  Infantry  Nauvoo  Legion. 
This  flag  was  carried  by  Mark 
Lindsey,  of  Captain  James  C. 
Livingston's  Company  under  the 
command  of  Major  Andrew  Burt, 
which  company  was  mustered  into 
service  July  25,  1866.  Mark  Lind- 
sey was  chosen  to  carry  this  flag 
on  account  of  his  height,  which  was 
6  feet  and  3  inches.  Mr.  Lindsey 
was  born  in.  Trowbridge,  Wiltshire, 
England,  January  22,  1832,  and 
came  to  Utah  with  the  Utah  Hand- 
cart Pioneers  in  1859.  He  was  the 
Pioneer  Pleasure  Garden  man  of 
Utah  and  owned  what  was  known 
in  pioneers  days  as  "Linsey's 
Gardens",  which  occupied  a  quart- 
er section  in  the  North-east  part 
of  Salt  Lake  City.  He  died  in 
Ogden,  Utah,  February  12,  1900. 


PRESIDENT    WM.     H.     SEGMILLER     AXD     WIFE 
of  Sevier  Stake,  closely  connected  with  the  colonization  of  Indians  in  C-Jras.-    ValU 


PETER    GOTTFREDSON    AND    FAMILY    1882 

I  married  Amelia  Gledhill  in  April,  1872,  and  contracted  with  her  sister's 
husband,  Bernard  Snow,  to  bring  logs  to  his  saw-mill  to  be  sawed  into  lumber, 
each  to  have  half.  I  took  my  young  wife  to  the  mill  to  cook,  and  engaged  her 
brother,  Thomas  Gledhill,  to  help  me  get  logs  to  the  mill,  ivith  ihree  yoke  )f 
large  oxen.  \Ve  worked  there  till  the  26th  of  September,  when  Indians  from 
ambush  killed  one  of  our  number  and  wounded  another. 

In  1882,  at  the  age  of  36,  when  this  picture  was  taken.  I  was  requested 
by  the  editor  of  our  local  paper,  the  Richfield  Advocate,  to  write  up  the  circum- 
stances for  publication,  which  I  did,  with  the  assistance  of  my  wife,  her  brother 
Thomas,  and  my  brother-in-law.  Colonel  John  L.  Ivie,  which  was  the  beginning 
of  the  compilation  of  this  history. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  257 

drainage,  and  surrounded  by  springs  and  swamps. 
Yet  the  town  being  so  near  the  hills  was  too  much 
exposed  for  safety;  hence,  the  move.  The  Fort, 
however,  was  never  finished. 

J.  P.  PETERSEN,  WIFE  AND  MARY  SMITH 

KILLED  NEAR  GLENWOOD. 
A  SKIRMISH  AT  GLENWOOD,  STOCK 
RECOVERED. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  March  21,  1867,  Jens 
Peter  Petersen  and  wife,  and  Mary  Smith,  a  neigh- 
bor girl,  aged  fourteen  years,  left  Richfield,  Sevier 
County  to  go  to  Glenwood  about  five  miles  distant 
(east)  with  an  ox-team  to  do  some  trading.  Stores 
being  few  in  those  days.  Warren  S.  Snow  had 
brought  a  load  of  merchandise  to  Glenwood  to  trade 
for  stock  and  produce,  and  in  order  to  get  some 
needed  articles,  these  people  ventured  out,  think- 
ing that  by  starting  so  early  in  the  day  there  would 
be  no  danger,  but  as  the  roads  were  muddy,  they 
could  not  travel  as  fast  they  had  expected.  It  may 
here  be  added  that  it  was  contrary  to  council  at 
this  time  for  anyone  to  travel  between  the  settle- 
ments without  armed  escort.  The  Petersens  left 
their  baby  girl,  eighteen  months  old,  at  Jorgen 
Smith's  at  Richfield;  she  is  now  Mrs.  Christine 
Christensen  of  Koosharem,  and  mother-in-law  of 
Louis  Hatch  (the  Indian  Missionary).  When  they 
got  to  the  so-called  Black  Ridge  east  of  the  Sevier 
River,  Indians  were  gathering  the  stock  along  the 
river  bottoms;  and  the  Indians  seeing  the  people 
on  the  road,  immediately  attacked  them  and  killed  all 
of  them,  mutilating  their  bodies  in  a  most  horrible 


258  INDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS 

manner,  especially  the  women;  they  also  killed  one 
of  their  oxen.  Just  at  that  time  two  boys  from 
Glenwood,  Joseph  Hendricksen  and  Joseph  Frankum 
happened  to  be  down  in  the  field  near  by  after  some 
cows.  They  had  some  difficulty  in  starting  the 
animals  and  looking  back  they  saw  two  persons  com- 
ing down  the  dugway.  One  of  the  boys  said  to  the 
other:  "There  comes  some  boys,  we  will  ask  them 
to  help  us  to  start  the  cows."  But  they  soon  dis- 
covered they  were  Indians  and  then  ran  for  town. 
The  Indians  squatted  down  and  took  a  shot  at  them, 
but  missed  their  mark.  Hendricksen  reached  town 
first  and  reported.  The  murderers  drove  the  stock 
which  they  had  gathered  north  to  the  crossing  of 
Cove  River,  near  the  so-called  Herrings  Hole.  The 
stream  being  difficult  to  cross,  they  were  delayed 
somewhat  in  getting  the  stock  over.  Some  of  the 
men  in  town  requested  that  no  one  should  leave  the 
settlement  lest  the  Indians  should  come,  and  over- 
power the  people.  But  when  Dr.  Elias  Pearson, 
called  for  men  to  follow  Mm,  ten  or  more  responded 
among  whom  were  the  following :  Dr.  Pearson,  Arte- 
mus  Millett,  James  Killion,  J.  K.  Petersen,  Joseph 
Snow  (son  of  General  Snow),  Archibald  T.  Oldroyd, 
Joseph  Herring,  George  Pectol,  J.  K.  P.  Sampson, 
and  Hans  J.  Gottfredson  (a  boy  who  was  on  his 
way  to  work  on  the  fort)  Some  of  these  men  got 
between  the  stock  and  the  hills,  and  exchanged  sev- 
eral shots  with  the  savages ;  and  the  Indians  who 
would  not  fight  in  the  open,  made  for  the  hills  and 
rocks.  One  redskin  endeavored  to  stampede  the 
stock  by  shouting  and  shaking  his  blanket,  and 
two  or  three  others  were  hiding  among  the  cattle, 
but  the  stock  did  not  seem  to  scare  much  on  this  oc- 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  259 

casion.  The  Indian  with  the  blanket  was  wounded 
and  ran  to  the  hills,  and  the  savages  reached  a 
creek  later  called  Indian  creek,  where  they  made  a 
stand  and  fought  for  some  time.  It  was  amusing 
to  see  J.  K.  Peterson  maneuver,  he  would  dodge 
around  here  and  there  and  when  he  saw  an  oppor- 
tunity he  would  squat  down  and  fire,  throw  himself 
down  on  his  back,  while  reloading,  and  get  up  again 
to  repeat  the  performances.  Some  of  the  men  kept 
the  Indians  back,  while  the  younger  boys  drove  the 
stock  to  town.  About  a  dozen  men  came  out  from 
town  to  meet  those  who  had  been  out  and  helped 
to  drive  the  stock  in.  Some  Indians  rode  out  onto 
the  point  of  the  hill,  and  the  white  horse  Chief 
"Shena-vegan."  rode  around  encouraging  his  braves 
The  boys  picked  him  out  for  a  target  and  ran  him  to 
cover.  John  Frankum,  whose  gun  was  out  of  com- 
mission, obtained  another  gun  from  a  boy  (Tom 
Goff)  and  together  with  some  others  went  up  to- 
wards the  Indians  on  the  hill.  Here  Frankum  was 
shot  through  one  shoulder  which  disabled  him,  but 
Hans.  J.  Gottfredson  assisted  him  to  reach  town.  The 
Indians  finally  pulled  off  into  the  hills,  but  got  away 
with  a  few  horses  and  a  mule  or  two.  One  of  the 
mules  belonging  to  Peter  Oldroyd.  It  was  recovered 
at  the  Spring  City  fight  the  next  fall. 

After  the  skirmish  and  recovery  of  the  stock, 
George  Crowther  of  Monroe,  who  had  been  working 
on  the  Glenwood  Fort  for  Peter  Oldroyd,  started  for 
home.  Archibald  T.  Oldroyd  and  some  of  the  other 
boys  who  had  been  in  the  fight  started  with  him  to 
escort  him  part  way,  and  when  they  reached  the  dug- 
way  on  the  hill  near  Glenwood  they  found  the  wagon, 
and  the  murdered  people.  It  appeared  that  when  the 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


Indians  had  shot  the  ox,  the  people  jumped  from  the 
wagon  and  started  to  run.  Petersen  had  gone  but  a 
short  distance  from  the  wagon  when  he  was  shot 
down.  After  being  shot  he  had  been  horribly  beaten 
about  the  head  and  face ;  his  nose  was  mashed  onto 
the  side  of  his  face,  and  he  was  scalped.  Mrs.  Peter- 
sen  who  was  in  a  delicate  condition  had  run  a  short 
distance  up  the  road.  Miss  Mary  Smith  being  young, 
had  nearly  reached  the  top  of  the  hill  before  she  was 
overtaken.  Both  women  were  stripped  and  horribly 
mutilated.  Before  George  Crowther  and  his  escort 
left  the  scene  of  the  tragedy,  they  were  joined  by  a 
company  of  men  from  Eichfield.  One  of  the  party 
was  sent  back  to  Eichfield  after  a  conveyance  to 
take  the  dead  people  home. 

At  the  time  of  the  killing  of  the  people  on  Black 
Ridge,  Ole  P.  Bork,  a  Richfield  harness  maker,  then 
a  boy,  was  going  down  into  the  meadows  to  look 
for  stock.  Just  at  sunrise  he  heard  shooting;  the 
air  was  a  little  hazy,  but  he  could  see  that  the  shoot- 
ing was  done  by  Indians,  and  knowing  also  that 
Petersen  had  gone  to  Glenwood,  he  thought  the  In- 
dians were  after  them.  He  therefore  ran  for  town, 
but  when  about  half  way  to  the  settlement  a  man  on 
horse-back  (who  had  been  down  at  the  river)  passed 
him  and  gave  the  alarm.  The  drum  beat,  and  when 
Borg  got  to  the  fort  at  Richfield  a  number  of  men 
had  already  started  for  the  scene,  but  arrived  there 
too  late  to  render  much  assstance.  The  Smith  family 
claimed  the  little  girl  who  had  been  left  with  them, 
as  their  daugther  had  been  killed,  but  Major  Glaus 
P.  Anderson  who  was  a  relative  claimed  her,  and 
raised  her  to  womanhood. 

Ten  of  the  Richfield  boys  participated  in  the 


INDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS  261 

expedition  named.  They  were  ordered  to  go  to  the 
upper,  or  south  end,  of  the  Black  Ridge  and  follow 
down  the  same.  When  they  came  to  the  place  where 
the  people  were  killed  they  met  the  Glenwood  boys. 
Some  of  both  parties  (Joe  Snow  with  them)  went 
after  the  Indians;  they  traveled  up  Indian  Creek, 
the  way  the  Indians  had  gone,  and  followed  the  trial 
to  the  head  of  Lost  Creek,  where  they  abandoned  the 
chase  and  returned. 

SEVIER,  PIUTE  AND  PARTS  OF  OTHER 
COUNTIES  VACATED. 

Richfield  as  well  as  Monroe  and  Glenwood  were 
vacated  April  20,  1867,  by  their  inhabitants  because 
of  the  Indian  troubles.  About  the  same  time  many 
other  places  were  temporarily  deserted.  Thus  Piute 
County  was  entirely  vacated  as  well  as  the  settle- 
ments of  Berryville,  Windsor,  upper  and  lower 
Kanab,  Shunesburg  and  Northup  and  many  ranches 
in  Kane  County ;  and  so  also  were  the  settlements  of 
Panguitch  and  Fort  Sanford  in  Iron  County. 

These  timely  movements  undoubtedly  saved  many 
lives,  for  the  hostility  and  strength  of  the  savages 
left  no  doubt  as  to  their  determination  on  aggressive 
measures.  Troops  were  accordingly  mustered  into 
service  in  the  counties  of  Sanpete,  Juab,  and  Utah. 

GEN.  R,  T.  BURTON  AND  COMMAND  ORDERED 
TO  SANPETE. 

April  15th,  1867,  General  .Daniel  H.  Wells 
called  upon  Major-General  Robert  T.  Burton  of  Salt 
Lake  County  to  raise  three  platoons  of  cavalry  to 


262  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


IIMMIIIIIIIIIIMI 


march  on  the  22nd  for  Sanpete;  this  detachment 
numbering  seventy-two  men,  under  command  of  Cap- 
tain Orson  P.  Miles  reported  to  General  Pace  at 
Provo  who  had  been  appointed  to  succeed  General 
Snow  in  command  of  the  Sanpete  district. 

CAPT.  WM.  L.  BINDER'S  INFANTRY  LEFT 

S.  L.  CITY  FOR  SANPETE. 

ADAM  PAUL  OF  CAPT.  MILES  CAVALRY 

COMPANY  WOUNDED. 

On  the  22nd  of  April  1867,  Captain  William  L. 
Binder  left  Salt  Lake  City  with  a  small  company  of 
infantry  and  reported  for  duty  to  General  Pace, 
whose  headquarters  had  been  established  at  Gunni- 
son ;  General  Pace 's  own  district.  Utah  County  had 
also  sent  a  company  of  cavalry  under  Captain  F.  P. 
Whitmore  and  one  of  infantry  to  the  front.  With 
these  reinforcements  and  the  energetic  preparations 
made  by  local  troops  it  was  hoped  that  the  savages 
might  be  deterred  from  further  depredations. 

An  engagement  occurred  in  May  11,  1867  in 
which  Adam  Paul  of  Mile's  Salt  Lake  cavalry  was 
wounded. 

ATTACK  ON  FOUNTAIN  GREEN  COWHERD 
LOUIS  LUND  KILLED. 

At  Fountain  Green,  Sanpete  County,  it  was  cus- 
tomary for  a  guard  of  ten  men  to  be  with  the  cow- 
herd, but  in  the  morning  of  June  1st,  1867,  only  five 
were  with  it,  and  Mathew  Caldwell,  the  man  in 
charge  of  the  guard,  was  detained  in  the  settlement 
and  getting  his  horse  shod.  Feed  being  plentiful, 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  263 


the  herd  only  went  a  short  distance  from  town  to 
graze.  Two  of  the  herders  were  stationed  a  short 
distance  east  of  the  herd  on  a  knoll  where  their 
horses  were  feeding  just  below.  The  other  three 
herders  were  on  the  north.  Wm.  Adams,  Jr.,  who 
happened  to  be  in  the  edge  of  town  saw  ten  per- 
sons riding  fast  from  the  east  hills  towards  the  herd. 
Thinking  they  were  the  ten  herds-men  he  took  no 
more  notice  of  it  until  he  heard  shooting  in  the 
direction  of  the  herd;  then  he  was  convinced  that 
the  men  he  had  seen  were  Indians.  Before  the 
Indians  reached  the  herd,  they  separated,  six  going 
east  and  the  other  four  west  of  the  herd.  Jasper 
Kobertson,  Swen  Anderson  and  Louis  Lund  who 
were  north  of  the  herd,  had  killed  some  rabbits 
and  were  cleaning  them  in  a  hollow  by  the  water 
hollow  ditch,  and  did  not  know  anything  about  the 
presence  of  Indians  until  the  savages  rode  to  the 
brink  of  the  hollow  and  shot  Lund  through  the  re- 
gion of  the  heart.  He  immediately  fell  forward  into 
the  water,  and  the  other  two  jumped  up  and  ran. 
Jasper  Robertson  was  shot  through  the  thigh,  while 
Anderson  escaped  unhurt.  Albert  Collard  and  Char- 
les Jones,  who  were  on  the  east  of  the  herd,  heard 
the  shooting  and  ran  toward  the  place  where  their 
horses  were.  The  Indians  tried  to  head  them  off, 
but  the  boys  had  the  start  and  were  not  overtaken. 
W.  H.  Adams  and  Thomas  Caldwell,  hearing  the 
shooting,  thought  it  was  the  boys  and  Indians  fight- 
ing, and  they  mounted  their  horses  and  went  to  the 
scene  of  action  as  speedily  as  they  could.  When 
they  got  about  two  miles  from  town  they  saw  cat- 
tle which  had  been  shot  along  the  trail  on  which 


264  INDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS 

MMiiiiiiiiiiriitiiiiiMiiiii  titiiiriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii  tiHiiMiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii  tittiiiiiiiiiH  tiiiiiiniiititiinir 

the  Indians  were  driving  the  herd.    They  followed 
the  herd  to  the  pass  that  leads  over  into  "Water  Hol- 
low, and  thinking  it  unsafe  to  follow  farther  they 
returned.     William  G.  Caldwell,  a  boy  was  taking 
an  old  mare  to  the  herd,  seeing  the  Indians,  turned 
and  rode  for  town.     Some  of  the  Indians  tried  to 
head  him  off  and  shot  at  him  several  times,  but 
he  escaped  unhurt  and  gave  the  report  in  town.    As 
Adams  and  Caldwell  were  returning,  after  follow- 
ing the  Indians,  they  saw  two  men,  Noah  T.  Guyman 
and  Charles  Johnson,  and  on  reaching  them  they 
were  informed  that  Louis  Lund  had  been  killed  some- 
where on  the  Water  Hollow  Ditch,  but  they  could  not 
find  him.    But  as  Adams  knew  where  the  first  shoot- 
ing had  been  done,  they  soon  located  him  and  found 
him  lying  with  his  head  in  the  ditch  with  the  water 
running  through  his  hair.     He  had  also  been  shot 
in  the  center  of  the  forehead  at  short  range,  his 
face  being  powder-burned.     Adams   and   Caldwell 
carried  the  body  out  of  the  hollow  and  by  this  time 
others  had  arrived.    Most  horses  are  frightened  at 
the  smell  of  blood,  and  as  Adams  had  a  gentle 
horse  and  Parley  Allred  had  a  saddle  on  his  horse, 
they  took  the  saddle  off  and  put  it  on  Adams'  gen- 
tle horse,  placed  the  corpse  in  it  in  an  upright  posi- 
tion, and  with  Swen  Anderson  walking  on  one  side 
and  Adams  on  the  other  they  held  in  it  the  saddle 
until  they  reached  the  edge  of  town,  where  they 
met  Thomas  Crowder  with  a  wagon.     They  then 
placed  the  body  in  the  wagon  and  took  it  to  the 
fort,  only  about  two  hundred  yards  distant.     Bro. 
Lund's  body  was  taken  to  his  mother's  room;  he 
was  her  only  child. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  265 

IfllllllllMlllllltllllflllllllltllllllllllllMIMIIIIIIIIIIllllllllllllltlll IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIMI inn 

As  soon  as  possible  a  company  of  men  followed 
the  Indians  who  were  driving  away  two  hundred 
head  of  stock  and  horses  belonging  to  the  settlers. 
On  reaching  Thistle  Valley  they  met  Colonel  John 
L.  Ivie  and  his  company  of  cavalry  from  Mount 
Pleasant  and  together  they  now  followed  the  In- 
dians and  soon  captured  the  cattle,  but  the  Indians 
who  had  changed  horses  and  were  riding  fresh 
horses  belonging  to  the  settlers  hurried  away,  know- 
ing that  they  were  pursued.  They  rushed  the  horses 
into  Spanish  Fork  Canyon  and  got  away  with  forty 
head. 

Col.  Reddick  N.  Allred  gives  the  following  par- 
ticulars of  the  Fountain  Green  tragedy. 

Springtown,  June  12th,  1867. 
Editor  Deseret  News : — 

In  regard  to  the  Indian  raid  at  Fountain  Green, 
some  people  may  wonder  why  forty-five  men,  coni- 
iug  up  with  twenty-one  Indians  could  not  kill  or 
captme  them  and  recover  the  stock, — we  were  led 
to  believe,  from  the  report  of  the  express  riders  and 
telegram  from  Moroni,  that  twelve  Indians  had 
gone  with  the  stock,  and  that  a  war  party  was  left 
behind  fighting  for  two  hours.  On  learning  this, 
and  that  Major  Bradley  had  sent  assistance,  I  raised 
fourteen  men  from  Springtown  and  followed  Col. 
Ivie  as  fast  as  I  could  to  Thistle  Valley,  to  inter- 
cept the  Indians.  He  (Col.  Ivie)  arrived  in  Thistle 
valley  with  twenty-three  men  from  Mount  Pleasant 
and  Fairview,  and  saw  the  Indians  about  three  miles 
distant,  and  near  the  canyon.  Finding  themselves 


266  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

hard  pressed  they  killed  and  wounded  some  of  the 
cattle,  mounted  fresh  animals,  driving  only  horses 
before  them  and  reached  the  canyon  before  Col. 
Ivie  came  up.  He  took  the  precaution  to  flank 
the  canyon,  not  knowing  but  that  a  heavy  re- 
serve was  lying  in  wait.  In  a  few  moments  he  be- 
came satisfied  that  twelve  Indians  were  about  the 
whole  number  in  the  canyon,  but  supposed  that  the 
war  party  was  still  behind,  and  kept  a  rear  guard 
to  watch  for  them.  That  guard  twice  reported  In- 
dians in  the  rear,  but  they  proved  to  be  our  re-in- 
forcements.  Col.  Ivie  pursued  the  Indians  about 
three  miles,  into  the  mountains,  but  finding  that 
their  jaded  horses  were  unable  to  compete  with  the 
fresh  horses  that  the  Indians  had  just  mounted, 
they  gave  up  the  chase.  I  formed  a  junction  with 
Maj.  Guyman  and  twenty- three  men  from  Fountain 
Green  and  Moroni,  in  the  south  end  of  Thistle  Val- 
ley, and  met  Col.  Ivie  at  the  mouth  of  the  canyon. 
After  hearing  his  report  I  decided  to  return.  The 
distance  our  men  had  to  travel  was  from  fifteen  to 
thirty  miles,  which  was  done  on  the  run,  I  believe 
that  the  officers  and  men  generally  did  their  best 
in  trying  to  capture  the  raiders,  but  the  want  of 
vigilance  on  the  part  of  the  guards  gave  them  the 
advantage ;  and  the  want  of  telegraph  office  in  each 
settlement  was  all  that  prevented  us  from  cutting 
thorn  off.  The  distance  rode  from  the  point  of  at- 
tack till  I  met  Col.  Ivie  was  at  least  fifty  miles. 

Yours, 

R.  N.  Allred. 


INDIAN  DEPBEDATIONS  267 


MAJOR  VANCE  AND  SCJT.  HOUTZ  KILLED  AT 
TWELVE  MILE  CREEK. 

On  the  2nd  of  June,  1867,  Major  John  W.  Vance 
(of  Alpine,  Utah  County)  Brigade  Adjutant  on  Gen- 
eral William  B.  Pace's  staff,  was  returning  with 
Captain  Orson  P.  Miles,  Sergeant  Heber  Houtz,  and 
Nathan  Tanner,  Jr.,  of  the  Hiles  Company  from 
a  military  drill  at  Manti  to  headquarters  at  Gun- 
nison,  at  dusk,  while  halting  at  Twelve  Mile  Creek 
to  let  their  horses  drink,  they  were  fired  on  by 
ambushed  Indians  at  close  range;  at  the  first  shot 
Major  Vance  and  his  horse  fell  dead,  and  Sergeant 
Houtz  with  a  groan  also  fell  from  his  steed  as  the 
animal  wheeled  suddenly  out  of  the  creek.  Believ- 
ing their  companions  both  dead,  Captain  Miles  and 
young  Tanner  rode  rapidly  back  to  Manti,  where 
a  detachment  under  Lieutenant  M.  H.  Davis  of  Salt 
Lake  County  was  ordered  to  recover  the  bodies  of 
the  dead  men. 

Vance  was  found  pierced  with  two  bullets  and 
lying  where  he  fell  within  a  few  feet  of  the  creek; 
Houtz  had  evidently  recovered  himself  a  moment 
after  the  first  fire,  for  his  body  shot  with  two  bul- 
lets and  several  arrows  lay  about  ifive  hundred 
yards  from  the  scene  of  the  ambush.  The  remains 
of  the  deceased  were  reverently  conveyed  to  their 
respective  homes,  where  obsequies  were  conducted 
over  Major  Vance  on  the  5th  and  Sergeant  Houtz 
on  the  6th  of  June,  1867.  The  services  closed  with 
military  honors. 


268  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

THE  PARAGOONAH  RANGE  SWEPT  BY 
INDIANS. 

Indians  raided  Beaver  and  captured  a  herd  of 
stock,  June  14,  1867.  The  Paragoonah  range  was 
swept  by  Indians  June  22,  1867.  Major  Silas  S. 
Smith  gave  chase  and  succeeded  in  cutting  the  In- 
dians off  from  the  mountain  passes;  a  maneuver 
which  caused  the  thieves  to  leave  their  booty.  At 
this  raid  an  Indian  named  Albert  Hanks,  who  had 
been  raised  by  a  brother  Hanks  at  Parowan  cap- 
tured a  Spaniard  who  had  been  captured  by  the 
Navajoes  and  kept  as  a  prisoner  for  several  years. 
He  was  trying  to  get  away  from  the  Indians  when 
captured.  He  afterwards  made  a  speech  at  Pa- 
ragoonah, giving  a  detailed  account  of  how  he  had 
been  captured  by  the  Indians.  Among  other  things 
he  said  that  they  burned  the  bottom  of  his  feet  in 
order  to  cripple  him,  so  he  could  not  get  away;  he 
was  kept  as  a  servant  or  slave  by  the  Navajoes,  and 
he  said  that  this  was  the  first  opportunity  offered 
him  to  escape. 

RAID   ON  THE  STOCK  AT  LITTLE 
CREEK,  kEAyER  COUNTY. 

At  dusk  on  July  21,  1867,  a  descent  was  made 
upon  the  stock  at  Little  Creek  near  Parowan,  Iron 
County.  The  guards  gave  the  alarm,  the  local  caval- 
ry was  quickly  in  motion  and  headed  off  the  Indians 
at  the  mouth  of  the  canyon,  charging  them  and 
turning  back  the  stock.  The  savages  re-formed  and 
charged  twice,  but  were  finally  repulsed.  The  fight- 
ing lasted  nearly  all  night. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  269 

||tl I  >l  II  I  Hill  Mllll I  I  II  MM  Mill  II  II  II  Ml IIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIilllllllllllMlllllllllllimillMIIIIII Ill" 

WM.  J.  ALLRKD  RECOVERS  HIS  HORSES,  KILLS 
TWO  INDIANS. 

William  Jackson  Allred  was  the  first  Bishop 
of  Circleville.  When  that  town  was  vacated  on  the 
28th  of  June  1866.  He  went  to  Parowan,  Iron  Coun- 
ty, and  later  in  the  fall  moved  his  family  to  Beaver. 
The  next  summer  he  worked  a  farm  on  shares  at 
the  Buckhorn  Springs,  south  of  Beaver,  leaving  his 
family  at  Beaver. 

One  morning  (Nov.  10th,  1868)  when  he  got 
up,  he  sent  his  little  boy  to  look  for  his  horses  and 
as  the  boy  was  gone  longer  than  he  thought  he 
should,  he  went  to  look  for  him.  The  boy  who  had 
found  the  tracks  of  the  horses,  could  see  that  they 
had  been  taken  by  Indians,  and  showed  his  father 
the  tracks.  Allred  then  took  with  him  his  five- 
shot  revolver  and  followed  the  trail  of  the  thieves 
all  day,  going  northeast  through  Cottenwood  can- 
yon. Having  crossed  Buckskin  Valley  into  Hawkins 
Canyon,  he  discovered  a  smoke  about  a  mile  distant. 
He  crawled  carefully  to  the  place  where  he  saw  the 
smoke  and  here  the  three  thieves  were  located  in  a 
deep  wash  sitting  by  the  fire.  He  stopped  to  reflect  as 
to  what  was  best  to  do  and  seeing  one  of  the  Indians 
with  a  gun  laying  by  him  Allred  fired  at  him,  and 
he  fell  over;  the  other  two  jumped  up  and  ran.  He 
fired  at  one  of  them  killing  him,  the  other  got  away. 
When  Brother  Allred  went  down  in  the  hollow  where 
he  shot  the  first  Indian  he  found  that  the  Indian 
was  not  dead  as  he  raised  up  and  shot  an  arrow  at 
him ;  it  grazed  his  face  and  went  up  through  his  hat. 
Allred  then  shot  the  Indian  in  the  head.  He  re- 


270  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

IIIIMMIIMI iiiiiniiii.il iiiiiiiimiiiMmmimiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiimiiiiimtiiiiiiii in HIM 

covered  his  horses,  and  before  leaving  the  place  he 
dragged  the  dead  Indians  together,  covered  them 
with  brush  which  he  set  on  fire,  and  got  back  in 
the  night. 

SPRING  CITY  FIGHT,  J.  MEEKS  AND 
A.  JOHNSON  KILLED. 

An  account  given  by  Marinus  Lund  of  Spring 
City,  Utah.  During  the  month  of  April  a  com- 
pany of  "Minute  Men"  was  organized  at  Spring 
City,  Sanpete  County,  Utah,  for  guarding,  scout- 
ing and  general  service  in  protecting  the  settlers 
-from  the  Indians ;  the  company  was  composed  of  ten 
picked  men,  who  were  on  duty  all  the  time  during 
the  spring  and  summer  of  1867.  Everybody  moved 
along  quietly  until  the  morning  of  August  13th, 
1867,  when  about  twenty  men  with  teams  left  Spring 
City  for  the  hayfield  which  was  about  six  miles 
south-west  of  the  town.  Contrary  to  the  usual  cus- 
tom, the  scouting  ahead  of  the  cowherd  was  not 
done  that  morning.  A  company  of  Indians,  who 
evidently  had  spent  the  previous  night  in  the  stone- 
quarry  hills,  about  a  half  mile  south  of  the  hay  road, 
saw  the  cow-herd  coming  over  the  hills  north  of 
the  road.  In  their  effort  to  reach  the  herd  the 
Indians  encountered  the  hay  teams ;  the  minute  men 
were  guarding  the  cow  herd  and  were  attracted  by 
the  reports  of  the  guns  fired  by  the  Indians  in  their 
attack  on  the  hay  teams.  William  Scott,  Sanford 
Allred  and  myself  rode  to  the  place  where  the  fir- 
ing was  heard.  On  our  way  we  saw  Andrew 
Johnson,  a  driver  of  one  of  the  hay  teams,  going 
north  with  an  arrow  in  his  back.  He  had  been  shot 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  271 

by  an  Indian  while  on  his  wagon.  Sanford  Allred, 
who  was  armed  with  a  cap  and  ball  pistol,  went  to 
Spring  City,  to  report.  William  Scott  left  me  and 
rode  down  west.  I  yelled  and  asked  him  to  wait 
for  me.  I  had  nearly  reached  him  when  Mr.  Scott 
said  "Look  behind  you."  I  then  discovered  that 
several  Indians  were  riding  close  behind  me.  I 
turned  in  my  saddle  and  fired  at  them,  when  they 
rode  away. 

When  I  reached  Scott,  I  asked  him  where  he 
was  going?  He  said  that  he  was  afraid  his  falher- 
in-law,  James  Meeks  had  been  killed.  I  then  left 
Scott  and  rode  north  to  the  cow  herd.  On  the 
way  I  met  William  Blain  who  had  been  shot  through 
the  ear  by  the  Indians.  Mr.  Blain  told  me  not  to 
get  scared.  I  showed  him  the  nearest  way  to  town 
and  told  him  to  go  there  as  fast  as  he  could.  The 
Indian?  wore  then  all  south  of  us. 

I  then  met  Jack  Allred  and  asked  him  where  he 
was  going.  He  said  that  he  was  going  down  to  get 
his  horse  out  of  the  band  which  the  Indians  had 
stolen.  As  he  was  crippled  I  told  him  that  I  would 
go  with  him  and  help  him  catch  his  horse.  I  sug- 
gested that  the  Indians  might  kill  him;  to  which  he 
replied  that  he  did  not  care.  We  went  east  to  a 
place  where  other  minute  men  were  stationed  on  top 
of  a  hill.  At  the  foot  of  this  hill  two  Indians  rode 
by  without  seeing  us ;  neither  did  we  see  them  until 
they  had  passed.  When  we  arrived  at  the  top  of  the 
hill,  I  dismounted  and  tied  my  horse  to  a  cedar  tree ; 
as  I  dismounted  three  Indians  rode  by.  I  shot  at 
them  three  times.  Captain  John  Hitchcock  asked 
me  if  I  was  shot.  I  told  him  "no."  He  then  said 


272  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


that  my  horse  was  shot,  if  I  wasn't,  but  my  horse 
was  not  hurt.  Jack  Allred  said ' '  You  hit  an  Indian. ' ' 
"I  am  not  certain  whether  I  did  or  not,"  was  my 
reply.  Later  we  caught  a  mule  which  one  of  the 
Indians  that  I  shot  at  had  been  riding.  This  mule 
had  been  stolen  from  Peter  Oldroyd  at  Grlenwood  at 
the  fight  in  March,  1867.  I  then  rode  towards  Spring 
town  and  met  members  of  the  militia  who  were 
coming  to  the  rescue  of  the  herd  and  hay  teams.  The 
Indians  had  stolen  twenty-eight  head  of  horses  and 
started  to  the  mountains  with  them.  We  followed 
the  Indians  up  the  trail  south  of  Bill  Alfred's  can- 
yon and  the  militia  had  a  small  engagement  with 
them  on  the  mountain-side.  The  Indians  were  fol- 
lowed to  the  top  of  Horseshoe  Mountain,  and  on 
the  way  up  my  horse  gave  out.  Thomas  Coates, 
and  a  tame  Indian  from  Moroni,  and  I  followed  to 
the  top  of  the  Horseshoe.  When  we  arrived  there 
we  discovered  that  all  the  militia-men  had  return- 
ed to  Springtown  and  we  did  not  see  any  Indians 
there.  Then  we  returned  to  Springtown  where  we  ar- 
rived about  nine  o'clock  at  night.  Here  we  learned 
that  William  Scott's  father-in-law,  James  Meeks 
had  been  killed,  and  also  that  Andrew  Johansen  who 
had  been  wounded,  died  that  night. 

RAID  ON  SPRING  CITY 
By  H.  S.  Ivie 

"About  nine  o'clock  as  reported  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  Spring  City  fight  I  was  riding  down  to 
the  hayfield  with  Sidney  H.  and  James  R.  Allred, 
when  about  half  way  between  the  stone-quarry  and 
the  meadows  we  heard  some  shooting.  Christian 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  273 

J.  Larsen,  who  had  a  pair  of  gray  horses  (pretty 
good  runners)  was  not  far  behind  us.  About  eight 
Indians  on  horses  came  from  towards  Pigeon  Hol- 
low towards  him.  Larsen  who  had  a  small  boy 
with  him,  whirled  his  team  around  and  went  back 
as  fast  as  he  could  go,  while  the  Indans  rode  along 
beside  the  wagon,  shooting  at  him  and  the  boy.  They 
shot  several  holes  through  his  clothes,  and  also  shot 
his  gunstock  in  two,  but  he  was  not  hurt.  The 
main  lot  of  Indians  had  been  hidden  in  the  cedars 
above  the  stone-quarry,  south  of  the  road.  When 
we  saw  what  was  up,  we  turned  and  drove  back 
till  our  horses  got  out  of  wind.  The  Allreds  un- 
-hffcehed  the  horses  and  went  to  where  the  figh 
hitched  the  horses  and  went  to  where  the  fighting 
was  going  on.  Two  men  from  Ephraim  came  along 
and  one  of  them  took  me  on  his  horse  over  the  hill 
and  let  me  down,  when  Con  Rowe,  who  was  com- 
ing out,  took  me  into  town  on  his  horse.  When  we 
got  to  the  foot  of  the  stone-quarry  hill,  we  saw  James 
Meeks  lying  by  the  road  dead;  he  had  been  shot 
through  the  right  breast  and  under  one  eye;  his 
pants  and  hat  had  been  taken;  his  pipe  lay  by  his 
side  and  his  ox  team  was  out  in  the  brush  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  road." 

Colonel  Reddick  N.  Allred  in  his  journal,  says : 
"I  went  to  Ephraim  to  meet  General  Pace  and 
General  Robert  T.  Burton  and  to  hold  inspection 
only  taking  J.  T.  S.  Allred.  Sr.  and  daughter  with  me. 
I  knew  not  that  a  band  of  Indians  were  lying  in  wait 
in  the  cedars  to  take  the  herd  as  soon  as  it  was 
driven  out.  They  made  a  break  on  the  herd,  killed 
James  Meeks  wounded  Andrew  Johansen  and  wound- 


274  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

ed  Wm.  Blain  slightly.  When  we  arrived  at  Eph- 
raim  we  received  a  telegram  from  Mount  Pleasant 
giving  the  news  of  the  raid,  and  we  joined  Captain 
Louis  Larsen's  Minute  men  who  later  joined  men 
from  Springtown  and  Mount  Pleasant  under  Colonel 
Ivie.  But  the  Indians  had  made  good  their  escape 
into  the  mountains,  taking  only  the  horses  from  the 
herd.  We  purseud  them  to  the  top  of  the  Horse 
shoe  Mountain  after  exchanging  a  few  shots  with 
them. 

The  "Deseret  News"  of  August  28,  1867,  pub- 
lished an  account  of  an  interview  which  Superin- 
tendent Head  of  Indian  affairs,  who  had  jnst  re- 
turned from  the  ITintah  Reservation  where  he  had 
met  and  had  a  talk  with  the  notorious  chief,  Black 
Hawk,  who  came  there  with  his  family,  unattended 
by  his  braves.  Black  Hawk  said  he  had  28  lodges 
under  his  sole  control,  and  that  he  was  assisted  by 
three  Elk  Mountain  chiefs  who  each  had  ten  or 
twelve  lodges  with  him.  These  Indians  were  scat- 
tered all  along  the  valleys  from  the  north  of  Sr.n- 
pete  county  to  the  southern  settlements,  watching 
opportunities  to  make  raids.  Nevertheless  he  ex- 
pressed a  personal  desire  for  peace  and  said  that 
inasmuch  as  the  others  looked  to  him  as  head  chief, 
he  thought  he  could  influence  them  to  bury  the  hat- 
chet and  perhaps  consent  to  a  conference  with  Super- 
intendent Head  in  the  hear  future.  He  declared 
he  had  made  a  covenant  when  he  commenced  to 
fight  that  he  would  not  have  his  hair  cut,  and 
that  he  had  found  much  fault  with  Tabby  and 
Kanosh,  who  had  had  theirs  cut  like  the  white  men. 
J\Tow  that  he  was  w'Un.g  to  make  peace,  however,  he 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  275 

tiliiliiiii niMU,  iiiiiiniii.!  1 1. 1  in  i iiiliiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiut mm inn 

expresses  n  desire  that  the  Superintendent  shear  his 
locks  for  him,  which  Colonel  Head  very  kindly  did. 
Brief  obituary  notices  were  published  in  this 
week's  issue  of  James  Meeks  and  Andrew  Johansen, 
who  had  been  killed,  as  reported  in  this  department 
last  week,  by  Indians  at  the  Springtown  herd 
grounds.  Mr.  Meeks  was  69  years  of  age,  a  native 
of  England,  and  came  from  that  country  to  Utah 
in  1853;  he  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in 
Springtown.  Mr.  Johansen  was  30  years  of  age,  a 
native  of  Sweden,  and  had  only  arrived  in  Utah  the 
previous  year. 

JOHN  HAY  KILLED  NEAR  WARM  CREEK 
WHILE  ON  GUARD. 

Communication  from  General  Win.  B.  Pace  to 
Deseret  News  Sept.  5th,  1867. — Last  evening  about 
11  o'clock  private  John  Hay  of  Captain  Binders 
company  was  shot  dead  by  Indians,  while  tending 
the  fire  at  the  lime  Mln  near  Warm  Creek.  The 
Indians  crawled  up  within  twenty  feet  and  fired 
one  gun  only,  then  fled.  It  appears  the  guard  had 
changed  their  position  for  some  reason,  leaving  this 
avenue  open.  Detachments  from  Manti  and  this 
place  were  immediately  placed  upon  the  trials  to 
interecept  them  without  success.  A  reconnoitering 
party  since  daylight  report  signs  of  only  three  In- 
dians on  foot,  who,  from  the  course  and  length  of 
steps  must  have  made  twelve  mile  canyon  in  less  than 
an  hour  from  the  time  of  committing  the  murder, 
Beconnoisances  are  out  in  search  of  their  rendezvous. 

Yours,  Wm.  B.  Pace. 


276  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

niMiiMimiiiiiMMim mi mint 1 1  M  nun mil IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 

On  Sept.  4th  near  Warm  Creek  (Fayette)  San- 
pete  County,  where  three  of  Captain  Binder's  Salt 
Lake  infantry  were  on  picket  duty,  Indians  stole 
up  in  the  darkness,  and  by  the  light  of  the  camp- 
fire  were  able  to  single  out  John  Hay,  upon  whom 
they  fired  with  fatal  effect.  His  comrades  gave  the 
alarm  to  eight  other  men  stationed  near  by,  and 
taking  the  dead  man  with  them,  the  detachment  made 
good  their  retreat  to  the  settlement.  Soon  after- 
wards the  Indians  withdrew  for  the  winter,  and  the 
militia  were  able  to  devote  the  few  remaining  weeks 
of  autumn  to  the  pursuit  of  peace.  During  this  sum- 
mer and  autumn  a  stone  fort  was  projected  and 
partly  built  at  Gunnison  for  protection  against  the 
savages.  The  remains  of  this  fort,  which  was  never 
completed  still  remain  as  a  reminder  of  times  past. 

From  Whitney 's  History  of  Utah,  Vol.  2,  page 
208-9-10. 

GEN.  WELLS  ISSUED  ORDERS  FOR  A 
GENERAL  MUSTER. 

Sept.  17,  1867.  Lieutenant-General  Wells  issued 
orders  for  a  general  muster  of  forces  in  the  various 
military  districts  of  the  Territory,  which  orders 
were  generally  observed.  At  this  time  Adjutant- 
General  Clawson  was  absent  in  the  east,  and  the 
duties  of  his  office  were  performed  by  Assistant 
Adjutant  General  Thomas  W.  Ellerbeck;  Colonel 
John  R.  Winder,  who  had  acted  as  General  Well's 
Adjutant  in  Sanpete  in  1866,  assisted  in  drawing  up 
a  report  of  operations  of  the  militia,  during  the 
three  years  campaign  just  described,  which  was  pre- 
sented by  General  Clawson  to  the  Governor,  and  by 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  277 

him  to  the  legislature  in  January  1868.  It  is  dated 
December  31st,  1867.  From  this  document  it  ap- 
pears that  the  militia  of  the  Territory  consisted  of 
one  Lieutenant-General,  with  a  staff  of  eighteen  of- 
ficers ;  thirteen  topographical  engineers,  six  officers 
of  the  ordnance  department,  two  Major-Generals, 
with  a  staff  of  fourteen  officers.  Nine  Brigadier- 
Generals,  with  fifty  officers  in  the  staff,  twenty- 
five  lieutenant-colonels  with  eighty  five  officers  in 
the  regimental  staff,  112  majors  with  113  of  bat- 
talion staff,  236  captains,  228  first  lieutenants.  906 
second  lieutenants,  896  sergeants,  322  musicians, 
and  82  teamsters,  making  a  total  of  12,024.  The 
cavalry  consisted  of  2,525.  The  artillery  179,  and 
the  infantry  of  9,207,  the  remainder  being  the  gen- 
eral officers  and  staff,  and  a  topographical  and 
ordnance  department.  The  arms  and  equipment 
of  this  body  were  reported  as  several  pieces  of  ar- 
tillery, 2,838  horses,  2,476  saddles,  4,926  revolvers, 
252  swords,  6,960  rifles,  1,719  muskets  and  shotguns 
25  bayonets,  431,375  rounds  of  ammunition,  77  trum- 
pets, 96  fifes  and  107  drums. 

General  Clawson  in  his  report  dated  February 
9th,  1869,  to  the  Department  at  Washington,  terse- 
ly tells  the  story  of  these  military  operations  and 
supplies  vouchers,  showing  the  expense  of  the  In- 
dian War  during  the  three  years  to  be  $1,121,037.38, 
not  including  charges  for  vast  amount  of  service  in 
the  home  guard,  which  would  have  matei-iuUv  in- 
creased the  total.  The  report  bears  Governor  Dur- 
kee's  official  endorsements  and  quotes  from  the  re- 
ports and  communications  of  Colonels  Irish  and 
Heath  to  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs. 


278  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


Accompanying  it  also  was  a  memorial  to  Con- 
gress adopted  by  the  Legislature  in  February  1868 
and  approved  by  the  Governor,  asking  for  the 
payment  of  the  expenses.  The  document  pointed 
out  that  Colonel  Irish  had  applied  to  General  Con- 
nor for  military  aid  in  putting  down  the  rene- 
gades, and  that  Colonel  Head,  had  addressed  him- 
self to  the  same  effect  to  Colonel  Potter  and  that 
in  each  case  the  request  had  been  refused  whereupon 
it  became  necessary  to  call  upon  the  militia:  that 
notwithstanding  their  ready  response  .and  their  en- 
ergy and  courage,  six  flourishing  settlements  in 
Sevier  and  Piute  Countes,  four  settlements  in 
Sanpete,  fifteen  settlements  in  Iron,  Kane  and 
Washington  Counties  and  two  or  three  in  Wasatch 
County  had  been  abandoned,  with  an  almost 
total  loss  of  stock  and  improvements;  that  about 
seventy-five  lives  were  lost,  and  that  in  furnishing 
its  own  soldiers,  arms,  transportation,  horses  and 
saddles  the  Territory  had  borne  a  heavy  burden, 
wherefore  an  appropriation  of  $1,500.000  or  so 
much  thereof  as  might  be  necessary  to  cover  the 
expenses  was  respectfully  asked.  The  petition  was 
never  granted  and  the  just  debt  of  the  General 
Government  to  the  then  struggling  Territory  re- 
mains unpaid  to  this  day. 

RAID  ON  BEAVER,  200  HEAD  OP  STOCK 
STOLEN. 

September    18th    Indians    raided   Beaver    and 
stole  twc  hundred  head  of  stock. 


CHAPTER  III. 

GIRL  STOLEN  AT  WELLSVILLE,   NEVER 
RECOVERED. 

On  April  1st,  1868,  a  beautiful  little  daughter 
of  a  Mr.  Thurston  who  lived  about  three  miles  from 
Wellsville,  Cache  County,  was  Captured  by  some  of 
Pocatello's  band  of  Indians,  and  in  spite  of  every 
exertion  she  was  never  recovered.  She  was  about 
three  years  of  age,  idolized  by  her  parents,  and  her 
loss  was  to  them  a  dreadful  blow;  far  worse  in- 
deed than  her  death  would  have  been,  she  was  never 
heard  from  with  certainty  again,  except  that  she 
was  dead. 

For  detailed  account  of  a  sad  story  of  this  story 
of  this  stolen  child  the  reader  is  referred  to  the 
"Contributor"  Vol.  12;  Page  75.  1868  Files  Des- 
eret  News,  April  22nd,  Vol.  17. 

BATTLE  AT  ROCKY  FORD,  JUSTE- 
SEN  AND  WILSON  KILLED. 

In  the  spring  of  1868  it  was  believed  that  In- 
dian hostilities  were  over  and  that  it  was  safe  for 
the  people  to  return  to  the  deserted  homes  on  the 
Sevier. 

A  company  was  formed  under  the  leadership  of 
Frederick  Olsen  of  Spring  City,  Sanpete  County. 
Their  intention  was  to  resettle  Monroe.  There  were 
twenty-three  persons  in  the  company  with  twelve 


280  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

iniirillMIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIinilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllMIIMIMIIlllllllllllMllllllllllllllllllllllllMllllllltlllll 

teams,  namely,  Frederick  Olsen  and  son  Oie,  .Richard 
Davis,  Benjamin  Davis,  David  Davis  (a  boy),  Axel 
Einersen,  John  Knighton,  C.  C.  Brown,  John  Fern 
and  his  brother  (a  small  boy),  Walter  Jones,  Lars 
Alexander  Justesen  and  his  step  son  (Simon  T. 
Beck),  Adolph  Tomson,  Ira  Sutton,  J.  W.  Bohman, 
Andrew  Rasmussen,  Rasmus  Sorensen,  and  Louis 
Barney.  When  at  Cedar  Ridge,  (now  within  the 
limits  of  the  present  Vermillion),  near  the  Rocky 
Ford,  April  5,  1868,  some  thirty  Indians,  who  had 
just  previously  attacked  George  and  Charles  Wil- 
son from  Scipio,  Millard  County,  a  short  distance 
north  of  the  Rocky  Ford.  These  men  were  on  their 
way  to  Monroe  after  some  mill  irons.  Charles  Wil- 
son was  killed  by  the  Indians  who  cut  the  tugs 
of  the  harness,  taking  the  horses  and  supplies. 

George  Wilson  escaped  by  running  to  the 
river  and  hiding  in  a  hole  in  the  bank  till  night, 
when  he  made  his  escape  back  to  Scipio. 

Some  of  Olsen 's  company  had  ox  teams  and 
traveled  slow.  As  they  came  along  the  upper  road 
the  Indians  came  in  behind  them  and  when  those 
with  horse  teams  saw  the  Indians,  they  stopped  to 
let  the  ox  teams  catch  up.  The  savages  circled  out 
around  into  the  cedars  on  the  west  of  the  company 
and  got  a  little  way  ahead.  The  people  seeing  that 
the  savages  meant  mischief,  corralled  their  wagons 
as  speedily  as  possible  placing  the  back  ends  of 
the  wagons  in  such  a  position  that  each  wagon  would 
shield  the  team  on  the  next  wagon  to  it  from  the 
fire  of  the  Indians. 

As  soon  as  the  Indians  were  prepared,  some 
behind  cedars  and  rocks  and  others  in  a  ravine, 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  281 

they  opened  fire  on  the  company.  A  bullet  from 
an  Indian's  gun  struck  a  wagon  tire;  it  glanced 
and  struck  Alexander  Justesen,  killing  him  instant- 
ly. Andrew  Rasmussen  turned  his  oxen  loose  with 
the  yoke  on;  they  wandered  away  and  were  never 
recovered.  While  some  of  the  best  marksmen  dW 
the  shooting,  others  were  loading  guns,  and  still 
others  were  digging  rifle  pits,  (holes  in  the  ground), 
about  three  feet  deep,  and  from  six  to  twelve  feet 
across.  Th  fight  was  kept  up  for  an  hour  or  more. 
In  the  meantime  volunteers  were  asked  for  to  go  back 
to  Gunnison  for  help ;  Axel  Einersen  and  Adolph 
Tomson  offered  their  services  which  were  accepted. 

The  Indians  had  pulled  off  and  gone  towards  the 
ford,  and  were  seen  holding  a  council.  When  the 
expressmen  started  they  were  seen  by  the  Indians 
who  tried  to  head  them  off.  Einersen  rode  a  pretty 
good  horse,  and  when  he  saw  the  Indians  coming,  he 
headed  away  from  them  towards  the  hills.  The  In- 
dians, seeing  that  they  could  not  overtake  him,  went 
after  Tomson  who  was  following  the  road.  They 
gained  on  him  and  fired  several  shots ;  a  bullet  pass- 
ed through  his  thigh,  cutting  an  artery  and  lodged 
in  the  saddle.  He  was  also  hit  in  the  back  with 
an  arrow.  Seeing  that  he  could  not  get  away  from 
them,  the  impression  came  to  him  that  if  he  would 
turn  back  and  rush  at  the  Indians,  it  would  save 
his  life.  Consequently  he  turned,  and  with  gun  in 
hand  rushed  on  them.  The  Indians  opened  ranks, 
seemingly  surprised  and  let  him  pass,  but  then  they 
gave  chase.  The  men  is  camp  seeing  what  was  going 
on  ran  out,  firing  at  the  Indians,  and  one  of  them 
fell  off  his  horse.  The  Indians  then  turned  and 


282         INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

1MIIIIIIIIIII lllllllllllllllllllllltlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllMI 

went  away,  followed  by  the  riderless  horse;  they 
returned  in  the  night  and  carried  away  the  fallen 
Indian.  On  his  arrival  in  camp  Tomson  was  nearly 
exhausted  from  the  loss  of  blood;  but  the  men  re- 
moved the  arrow  and  dressed  the  wounds  as  best 
they  could;  he  was  badly  hurt,  and  it  took  a  long 
time  for  him  to  recover.  During  the  fight  the  White 
Horse  Chief  was  constantly  riding  around,  direct- 
ing the  movements  of  the  warriors.  Walter  Barney 
was  hit  on  the  shin,  the  bullet  going  through  his 
pants  and  boot,  but  did  not  cut  his  under  garments. 
The  men  kept  up  a  guard  all  night.  The  four  boys 
in  the  company  dug  a  trench  about  three  feet  wide 
three  feet  deep  and  covered  it  with  a  door  which  they 
took  out  of  one  of  the  wagons  and  placed  some  rocks 
on  it,  and  laid  there  two  deep  on  top  of  each  other. 

The  next  morning  Einersen  came  with  a  posse 
of  men  to  help  the  company  back  to  Ghinnison.  In 
the  meantime  the  Indians  had  left.  All  went  back 
with  the  relief  sent  with  Einersen.  No  further  at- 
tempt was  made  to  resettle  the  Sevier  country  until 
1871. 

The  following  additional  information  was  writ- 
ten by  Joshua  W.  Sylvester: 

In  the  spring  of  1868  I  accompanied  some  Gun- 
nison  boys  to  Marysvale  to  do  some  prospecting, 
gold  having  been  discovered  there.  There  were 
six  of  us  altogether,  and  as  we  were  returning  home 
we  camped  one  night  in  the  abandoned  town  of 
Monroe.  Next  morning  we  resumed  our  journey, 
and  when  we  got  to  the  Rocky  Ford,  about  twenty 
miles  distant  from  Monroe,  we  saw  a  lone  horse  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  We  also  discovered 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  283 

fresh  pony  and  cattle  tracks,  and  upon  crossing  the 
river  we  saw  a  wagon,  and  decided  to  stop  there 
for  dinner.  But  when  we  reached  the  wagon  we  found 
that  the  tugs  had  been  cut  off  the  single-trees,  and 
there  were  moccasin  tracks  around  the  wagon.  Con- 
cluding in  a  hurry  that  we  did  not  want  dinner,  we 
drove  on,  wondering  what  had  happened.  Upon  reach 
ing  the  road  that  led  to  Scipio  we  found  a  board  laid 
across  the  road  upon  which  was  written  "we  have 
taken  the  dead  man  from  Scipio  to  Gunnison."  As  we 
drove  along  the  west  side  of  the  river,  the  Gunnison 
people  could  see  our  dust  for  quite  a  long  distance, 
and  they  imagined  that  they  could  see  Indians  fol- 
lowing us ;  and  as  a  squad  of  men  had  just  arrived 
from  Manti,  and  were  already  mounted,  they  pushed 
on  to  meet  us,  though  the  sun  had  gon^  down  and 
it  was  getting  dusk  .  As  they  were  coming  up  one 
side  of  a  slope  we  came  up  on  the  other,  and  when 
we  reached  the  top  and  saw  their  dust,  we  thought 
of  nothing  but  Indians,  consequently  we  all  reached 
for  our  guns  and  pistols,  but  right  then  I  took  com- 
mand, telling  the  boys  not  to  fire  a  shot  till  I  told 
them  to,  and  if  the  Indians  made  a  move  to  surround 
us  we  would  let  them  have  a  shot  and  I  would  run 
the  team  to  the  river  bank  where  we  could  get  breast- 
works. The  boys  kept  eyeing  the  squad  and  finally 
I  said  that  it  might  not  be  Indians,  and  then  they 
could  see  at  a  glance  that  it  was  not.  There  was  a 
big  excitement  at  Gunnison,  for  they  knew  we  were 
coming.  When  we  reached  home  we  learned  that 
a  company  of  men  who  were  on  their  way  to  Mon- 
roe to  put  in  crops  had  been  attacked  by  Indians ; 
they  had  corralled  their  wagons,  had  entrenched 


284  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

themselves  and  had  stood  off  the  Indians  until  Axel 
Einersen  mounted  on  a  smarter  horse  than  the  In- 
dians had,  broke  through  the  lines  to  take  the  news 
to  Gunnison.  One  man  was  killed  in  the  affair. 

RAID  ON  SCIPIO,  FIFTEEN  HEAD  OF 
HOESES  STOLEN. 

Of  other  Indian  raids  which  took  place  in  1868, 
we  may  mention  that  on  May  7th,  four  Indians  made 
a  raid  on  Scipio,  Millard  County,  and  drove  off  fif- 
teen head  of  horses. 

On  July  5th,  Seth  Childs  was  accidently  shot 
and  wounded  near  Gunnison,  Sanpete  County,  by 
an  Indian  who  proved  to  be  friendly. 

INDIANS  STOP  COL.  IVIE  IN  SALT  CREEK 

CANYON. 
Copied  from  Deseret  News,  July  10th. 

We  met  Brother  Henry  N.  Larter  of  Moroni, 
Sanpete  County,  today,  who  arrived  in  town  yester- 
day, in  company  with  Col.  John  L.  Ivie  and  the 
latter 's  family.  He  reports  that  when  they  were 
about  four  miles  below  the  divide  above  Salt  Creek 
Canyon,  six  Utes,  among  whom  was  Tabiona,  rode 
up  to  them  and  demanded  to  know  of  Col.  Ivie 
whether  he  was  "Jim  Ivie,"  the  colonel's  brother. 
On  being  answered  in  the  negative  they  passed  on. 
In  a  short  time,  however,  they  returned,  rode  in  front 
of  the  wagon,  stopped  it,  and  reiterated  the  question. 
One  of  the  Indians  then  said  that  it  was  not  "Jim 
Ivie,"  but  his  brother.  At  this  time,  Tabiona  had 
his  hand  on  his  arrows,  and  another  Indian  had  his 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  285 

rifle  ready  for  use.  The  Indians,  however,  passed 
along  and  after  going  a  short  distance  they  stopped 
and  held  a  council.  The  team  was  made  to  travel 
at  a  lively  pace.  When  the  Indians  saw  this  two 
of  them  started  after  it,  coming  towards  the  wagon 
about  three  hundred  yards,  but  seeing  their  com- 
panions did  not  follow  they  stopped  and  went  back. 
One  Indian  was  so  drunk  he  could  scarcely  sit  on 
his  horse,  and  the  others  had  been  drinking,  but  they 
knew  what  they  were  doing.  James  Oscar  Ivie,  son 
of  Colonel  Ivie,  one  of  the  children  in  the  wagon 
said,  Lyman  R.  Peters  was  the  driver.  Mrs.  Ivie 
and  her  children  were  very  much  frightesed;  the 
mother  covered  the  smaller  children  with  the  bedding 
in  the  wagon.  Colonel  Ivie  said  afterwards  that  if 
the  Indians  had  overtaken  them  the  second  time,  he 
intended  to  jump  out  of  the  wagon  and  let  it  go 
on  and  take  his  chances  with  them.  He  was  well 
armed. 

INDIAN  GRATITUDE. 

The  following  is  an  incident  as  related  by  Col. 
John  L.  Ivie,  to  his  son  James  0.  Ivie : 

During  the  Indian  troubles  in  the  60  's — the 
Indians  had  stolen  some  cattle,  and  driven  them  up 
North  Creek  Canyon,  between  Fairview  and  Mount 
Pleasant.  Father  John  L.  Ivie  and  his  company  of 
minute  men  were  in  pursuit,  and  going  up  the  moun- 
tain they  gathered  up  several  head  of  cattle  which 
had  been  left  along  the  trail,  on  account  of  not 
keeping  up  with  the  herd.  And  up  among  the  tim- 
ber was  discovered  a  lone  Indian  covered  up  with 
leaves;  he  was  sick,  and  not  able  to  travel  with 


286  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

iitiimitmiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiimiiiiimimimiiiiimimi iinniii iiiiiiini  iiiinii  11  in  1 1  niiii  n  n  ling 

the  rest.  Some  of  the  boys  wanted  to  Mil  him,  but 
father  said  "no,  we  will  not  shed  blood,  unless  it 
is  necessary,"  so  they  left  him  and  went  in  pursuit 
of  the  Indians  and  stock  till  nearly  night,  when  it 
was  decided  to  give  up  the  chase  and  return  home, 
taking  back  what  stock  they  had. 

On  their  return  they  came  across  the  sick  In- 
dian sitting  up  against  a  tree  smoking  a  pipe.  The 
men  still  wanted  to  kill  him,  but  father  wouldn't 
let  them.  Some  time  after  that,  Father  and  two 
other  men  were  standing  guard  over  some  stock  in 
the  north  fort  of  Mount  Pleasant;  they  would  fre- 
quently meet  and  report  to  each  other  during  the 
night,  and  had  got  together  at  the  north  side  of  the 
fort,  when  they  heard  and  saw  the  cattle  getting 
up  from  their  bed-ground  and  moving  awav  from 
*vhat  they  thought  nuglit  be  Indians  crawling  among 
them.  The  cattle  kept  getting  up  nearer  and  nearer 
to  where  the  three  men  stood,  when  father  spoke 
to  the  others  and  said,  "that  they  must  be  close 
by."  After  that  they  saw  the  cattle  moving  as  if 
something  among  them  was  going  away  from  them. 
When  morning  came  nothing  had  been  molested. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  70 's- -after  peace  had 
been  restored,  an  Indian  and  his  lamily  came  to 
our  house  and  spent  a  day  or  hvo.  He  told  father 
of  the  occurrence  at  the  fort,  explaining  that  he  and 
four  other  Indians  were  there  on  that  occasion  and 
had  their  guns  lying  across  a  cow  ready  to  shoot  the 
three  men,  when  they  heard  father  speak  and  say, 
* '  They  must  be  close  by. ' '  He  said  he  knew  father's 
voice  and  would  not  let  the  others  shoot  as  father 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  287 


had  saved  his  life  on  the  mountain  when  he  was 
sick.  In  appreciation  he  had  now  saved  father's 
life. 

James  0.  Ivie. 

SKIRMISH  AT  EPHRAIM,  BATTLE  AT 
ROCK  LAKE. 

July  llth,  the  Ephraim  horse-herd  was  driven 
to  feed  about  two  miles  southeast  of  town,  on  the 
south  side  of  Willow  Creek  Wash;  they  were  in 
care  of  James  P.  Christensen,  Sr.,  John  Tompson 
and  Sam  Beal,  an  Indian  who  lived  with  the  set- 
tlers. N.  0.  Anderson  and  Andrew  Overdale  passed 
the  horse-herd  and  went  to  the  mouth  of  Willow 
Creek  Canyon  after  wood ;  they  heard  some  shouting 
as  if  someone  was  driving  cattle.  They  thought 
it  might  be  men  with  ox-teams  after  wood,  but  it 
proved  to  be  Indians  driving  animals  which  they 
had  gathered  up  in  the  morning  before  the  horse- 
herd  came  out.  Anderson  and  Overdale  began  get- 
ting their  loads  of  wood,  when  they  heard  some 
talking  and  thought  it  was  a  scouting  party,  but  it 
proved  to  be  Indians  who  came  out  into  a  clearing 
and  approched  to  within  thirty  yards  of  them.  The 
men  being  behind  some  trees  were  not  seen  by  the 
Indians  who  were  making  for  the  horse-herd.  The 
two  men  ran  onto  a  hill  south  of  the  cedars,  about  a 
half  mile  from  the  herd,  and  saw  the  Indians  and 
the  three  herds-men  in  battle  for  possession  of  the 
horses.  The  fight  lasted  about  fifteen  minutes,  when 
the  herders  succeeded  in  getting  most  of  the  horses 
started  for  town.  The  Indians,  however,  cut  out 
a  few  which  they  succeeded  in  getting  into  the  hills 


288  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

and  drove  off.  Thompson  and  Beal  drove  the 
horses,  while  L.  P.  Christensen  rode  in  ahead  and 
gave  the  alarm.  Soon  two  squads  of  men  were  on 
the  tracks  of  the  Indians.  One  posse  of  about  thirty 
men  went  by  way  of  Willow  Creek  Canyon,  the 
others  went  up  Ephraim  canyon  which  was  a  more 
direct  route  to  head  off  the  Indians.  This  posse 
consisted  of  Tory  Thursten  (Captain),  P.  C.  Peter- 
sen,  C.  A.  Larsen,  Henry  Oviett,  Andrew  0.  Ander- 
son, L.  C.  Larsen,  Chris.  Thompson  (Balla),  Chris. 
Nielsen,  George  P.  Jenson,  John  Thompson  and 
Sam.  Beal,  eleven  in  all.  When  they  reached  the 
top  of  a  high  ridge  between  Willow  Creek  and 
Manti  Canyons,  Indians  came  out  and  fired  on  them, 
Thinking  they  could  stop  them  or  scare  them  back, 
they  did  not  check  up,  but  continued  on  about  two 
miles  farther  to  a  small  lake  on  the  top  of  the  moun- 
tain known  as  Rock  Lake.  Here  they  were  fired 
upon  by  the  Indians  from  ambush  at  close  range. 
Three  horses  were  wounded  and  one  fell  dead  un- 
der its  rider  (P.  C.  Petersen.)  The  horse  fell  on 
his  leg  and  the  dead  horse  served  as  breast-works 
and  a  rest  to  shoot  from.  P.  C.  Peterson  who 
gives  this  information  says  that  the  battle  lasted 
about  an  hour.  The  Indians  were  at  a  disadvantage, 
the  brush  that  they  were  hidden  in  was  thin  and  our 
men  could  see  them  and  disabled  some  of  them,  which 
caused  them  to  retreat  and  follow  those  who  were 
driving  off  some  horses  and  cattle.  Further  pur- 
suit was  considered  unwise  owing  to  lack  of  horses 
and  being  but  eleven  in  number. 

From  Whitney's  History  of  Utah. 


CHICKEN  Y'     SHOOTKM' 
or     OLD     TOM — more     than     100     snows 


PAH-VANT-SQUAW 
and    pappoose    at    Bear   Dance    1914 


CHIEF    ANDREW    HUN-COP,    OF    KANOSH 

Successor    to    Chief    Kanosh    at    steering    wheel.       Chief    Walker    Ammon 
Koosharem,    Piute    County,    at    his    side,    two    squaws    in    back 


of 


35   W 


=  _  M 

sis- 


o~^ 

2-l-, 

'r.   —   X 


=       > 

=* 


K    -• 

5-  x 


A   NATIVE    SON    OF   UTAH 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  289 

COL.  HEATH'S  TREATY  WITH  INDIANS 
IN  STRAWBERRY  VALLEY. 

On  the  19th  of  August,  1868  the  energetic  Super- 
intendent of  Indian  affairs,  Colonel  Head,  succeeded 
in  negotiatng  a  treaty  with  the  sub-chieftains  of 
Black  Hawk's  band  and  their  still  recalcitrant  fol- 
lowers. Major  Dimick  B.  Huntington  was  interpre- 
ter on  the  occasion,  and  Black  Hawk  himself  who 
had  kept  his  pledge  given  a  year  before,  lent 
his  personal  influence.  The  young  warriors  were 
loth  to  bury  the  tomahawk  and  boasted  not  a  little 
of  their  prowess  and  deeds  of  blood;  one  of  them 
especially,  a  handsome,  feminine-looking  stripling 
named  Aug-a-vor-un.  After  the  war,  Shenanagon 
confessing  his  participation  in  killing  Major  Vance 
and  Sergeant  Houtz  and  in  other  more  daring  and 
less  dishonorable  engagements.  Of  the  felljbws 
courage  there  could  be  no  doubt.  He  had  been  wont 
to  ride  a  white  horse,  and  as  his  reckless  bravery 
always  led  him  to  the  front,  where  his  example 
served  as  a  command  to  his  associates,  he  was  fre- 
quently the  mark  of  military  sharp-shooters,  and 
once  when  he  fell  wounded  the  cry  went  up  that 
Black  Hawk  himself  had  been  killed.  His  defiant 
eloquence  was  reinforced  at  this  meeting  by  that  of 
other  hot-heads,  but  it  was  patiently  met  and  at 
length  entirely  overcome  by  persuasion  and  threats 
of  the  peace  party.  The  treaty  was  signed  and  it 
is  believed  was  faithfully  observed,  although  peace 
was  not  completely  restored  until  after  the  summer 

of  1869. 
10 


iniiiiiiiiiiin 


290  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

NAVAJOES   RAID   HARRISBURG, 
SOME  STOCK  STOLEN. 

The  earliest  signs  of  trouble  during  the 
year  came  from  the  southwest  where  the  turbulent 
Navajoes  were  the  predominating  tribe.  A  band 
of  them  invaded  southern  Utah  in  the  latter  part 
of  February  and  drove  off  the  herds  from  Wash- 
ington and  Harrisburg.  A  party  of  militia  started 
in  pursuit,  recovered  some  of  the  stock  and  drove 
the  thieves  beyond  the  Colorado. 

FRANKLIN  BENJAMIN   WOOLLEY 
KILLED  NEAR  FORT  MOHAVE. 

March  21st,  Franklin  B.  Woolley  of  St.  George, 
son  of  Bishop  Edwin  D.  Woolley  was  killed  near 
the  Mohave  River,  California;  he  had  been  on  a 
business  trip  to  San  Bernadino,  California,  and  was 
returning  with  goods  for  the  St.  George  store  and 
had  been  separated  from  the  main  body  of  his  freight 
train  and  had  gone  to  look  for  his  horses  that  had 
strayed  from  the  camp  the  night  previous.  They 
had  gone  back  to  the  spring  where  the  company 
nooned  they  day  before,  when  it  is  supposed  he  was 
surrounded  by  a  party  of  about  fifteen  Indians.  He 
dismounted  from  his  mule  to  parley  with  them,  but 
finding  that  no  compromise  could  turn  them  from 
their  murderous  purpose,  he  sought  to  make  his  es- 
cape. He  fell  pierced  with  arrows  after  running  a 
few  rods.  His  slayers  stripped  off  his  clothes  and 
dragged  his  body  to  a  place  of  concealment  where  it 
was  not  found  until  some  days  later  by  searching 


INDIAN  DEPKEDATIONS  291 

parties.  The  remains  were  brought  home  for  inter- 
ment by  the  brother  of  the  deceased,  E.  D.  Woolley, 
Jr.,  now  president  of  Kanab  Stake. 

RAID  ON  KANE  COUNTY,  THREE  FRIENDLY 
INDIANS  KILLED. 

May  1st.  Eaid  on  Kane  County,  three  priendly 
Indians  were  killed  and  the  marauders  drove  off 
eighteen  head  of  horses. 

RAID  ON  KANARRA,  MANY  HORSES  STOLEN, 
SOME  RECOVERED. 
Joshua  W.  Sylvester. 

I  will  now  relate  the  next  trip  we  made  after 
Indians : 

We  had  moved  from  Gunnison  to  Kanarra ;  after 
living  there  a  couple  of  years,  on  October  31st, 
1869,  a  very  dark  night,  the  Navajoes  made  a  raid 
on  the  place,  and  when  I  got  up  I  found  my  fences 
torn  down  and  some  horses  gone.  After  breakfast 
I  rode  to  town,  about  a  mile  distant  and  found  the 
boys  saddling  the  few  horses  they  could  get  hold 
of,  for  most  of  their  stables  were  empty.  A  man 
from  Dixie  had  been  stopping  at  the  place  and  be- 
fore going  to  bed  he  had  gone  out  to  see  after  his 
mules  in  the  corral.  Finding  the  bars  down  he 
put  them  up,  thinking  it  would  be  best  to  hobble  his 
mules ;  he  got  the  iron  hobbles  and  put  on  them.  Next 
morning  he  found  them  shot  with  arrows ;  that  with 
the  horses  being  gone  gave  the  situation  away;  we 
knew  then  that  Indians  had  been  on  the  ground. 
We  went  after  them,  and  owing  to  a  light  fall  of 
snow  we  could  consequently  track  them  easily.  We 


292  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


pushed  on  until  dark  and  discovered  the  Indians 
making  camp.  They  had  just  started  a  fire.  We 
crawled  on,  and  just  as  we  were  ready  to  fire  they 
heard  us,  jumped  up  and  ran,  but  we  fired  on  them. 
We  recovered  our  horses,  which  they  had  taken,  and 
took  their  outfit.  When  we  returned  home  we  learn- 
ed that  a  raid  had  been  made  that  same  night  all 
along  the  line  for  about  forty  miles.  A  man  by  the 
name  of  Nebeker  who  was  camping  just  outside  of 
Kanarra  lost  all  his  mules.  Had  we  known  they 
were  gone,  we  could  have  headed  them  off.  We 
afterwards  learned  that  the  Indians  had  been  prowl- 
ing around  for  a  week  or  two  gathering  horses  and 
getting  ready  to  make  a  general  break  in  one  night. 
They  had  sat  on  the  hill  watching  the  men  put 
their  horses  in  their  stables,  and  where  they  could 
find  the  door  in  the  dark  they  took  the  horses. 
They  went  to  my  stable  and  I  suppose  they  could 
not  find  the  door.  I  had  driven  four  cows  and  an 
ox  to  a  nice  spot  of  grass  near  a  spring  on  the 
mountain.  The  Indians  had  camped  there,  killed  the 
animals  and  dried  the  meat.  They  drove  stock  from 
all  those  points  but  the  thefts  were  not  discovered 
until  after  they  had  gone.  Had  it  not  been  that 
they  got  angry  and  shot  the  mules  because  they 
could  not  get  the  hobbles  off,  their  success  would 
have  been  complete.  That  was  the  way  it  was  all 
the  time.  The  Indians  could  sit  on  the  mountain- 
side and  see  where  our  stock  were  and  what  we  were 
doing  and  then  making  a  dash,  they  would  kill  peo- 
ple who  were  at  work  in  the  fields,  or  traveling  on 
the  roads,  rush  their  stock  into  the  mountains,  leav- 
ing some  to  drive  them,  while  others  fell  back  and 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  293 

i "»• IMIIIIII iiituiiiii.iiiiiii.ii.iiiii.,,,, , , iniimim .11 

waited  in  ambush  on  the  trail  for  those  who  pur- 
sued. We  hardly  ever  met  them  when  they  did  not 
have  the  advantage;  therefore,  whenever  we  were 
out  in  the  mountains,  our  wives,  mothers  and  sisters 
anxiously  awaited  to  hear  from  us,  and  they  were 
actually  the  greatest  sufferers.  If  they  saw  any- 
one riding  fast  into  town,  they  all  rushed  to  the 
meeting  house  to  hear  the  news.  But  while  they 
had  women's  fears  they  had  soldiers'  hearts;  they 
would  get  provisions  ready  for  us  out  of  their  scanty 
supplies,and  often  mould  bullets  for  us,  while  we 
were  getting  other  things  ready ;  but  they  never  said 
"Don't  go." 

NIELS  HEIZELT  KILLED  AT 
TWELVE  MILE  CREEK. 

It  has  been  stated  that  the  Black  Hawk  Indian 
trouble  of  1866-67  ended  all  organized  warfare  on 
the  part  of  the  aborigines  in  Utah.  The  spring  of 
1872,  however,  witnessed  some  desultory  depreda- 
tions by  the  savages,  which  threatened  at  one  time 
a  general  outbreak.  The  primal  cause  of  disaffec- 
tion among  them  was  the  treatment  received  at  the 
hands  of  some  dishonest  government  agents  and 
acts  of  lawlessness  committed  by  renegade  white 
men.  These  troubles  did  not  originate  in  Utah,  but 
in  the  northern  territories,  whence  they  spread  to 
this  region.  During  the  previous  autumn  hostilities 
in  Southern  Utah  and  Arizona  had  been  barely 
averted  by  the  good  offices  of  Jacob  Hamblin,  the 
well  known  Indian  interpreter,  who  at  Fort  Defiance, 
on  November  2nd,  1871,  concluded  a  treaty  of  peace 
on  behalf  of  the  people  of  this  territory  with  the 


294  INDIAN  DEPKEDATIONS 

Itll  Mill  III  Illmmllll Il'fllllllllllllll I  Ml  Ml IIMIIIMM II  II  MM HIM II I  III 

principal  chiefs  of  the  Navajoes.  When  winter  was 
over  the  scenes  of  trouble  was  shifted  farther  north ; 
and  while  the  majority  of  the  savages  were  friendly 
to  the  settlers,  a  portion  of  them  seemed  bent  on 
mischief.  This  was  partly  an  effect  of  the  war- 
like feeling  exhibited  at  that  time  by  hostile  tribes 
generally  throughout  the  country. 

Under  these  circumstances,  Special  Indian 
Agent,  G.  W.  Dodge,  early  in  1872,  sought  to  redress 
the  grievances  complained  of  by  the  Indians  and 
distributed  large  quantities  of  flour,  beef,  and  other 
supplies  among  them.  The  unruly  ones,  however,  be- 
came more  insolent  with  the  efforts  to  pacify  them, 
and  levied  a  burdensome  tax  upon  the  settlements 
in  central  Utah  by  their  persistent  begging  and 
stealing.  On  the  16th  of  June  in  a  raid  by  a  band 
of  Shiberetch  Indians  upon  Twelve  Mile  Creek,  San- 
pete  County,  Niels  C.  Heiselt,  Jr.,  of  Pleasant  Grove 
Utah  County,  was  killed.  The  next  two  months  wit- 
nessed a  series  of  depredations  in  which  several 
white  men  were  shot  and  a  large  number  of  stock 
driven  off.  From  friendly  Indians  it  was  learned 
that  the  hostiles  were  mostly  members  of  unorganiz- 
ed bands  such  as  the  Capotas,  Magoots  and  Elk 
Mountain  Utes. 

During  the  period  when  the  major  portion  of 
these  outrages  were  committed,  several  hundred  In- 
dians were  paying  friendly  visits  to  the  settle- 
ments in  Sanpete,  Sevier,  Juab  and  Utah  counties. 
As  some  of  them  moved  about  in  small  companies, 
there  was  difficulty  in  distinguishing  -vhich  of  the 
roving  bands  were  hostile.  Colonel  Dodge  endea- 
vored to  simplify  the  situation  by  having  all  peace- 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  295 

MiiiiiiimiiiiiiMimiiMmimiimiiiiiimiiiiiiiiimiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimi IIIIMIIIIII  IIIIIMIIMIIIIIIIII  niiiiin 

able  red  men  return  to  the  reservation,  but  these 
could  not  be  made  to  understand  fully  why  they 
should  be  restrained  because  of  the  actions  of  hos- 
tiles  not  of  their  tribes.  Therefore,  though  they 
consented  to  the  measure  at  a  council  at  Nephi  on 
July  5th  and  again  at  Fountain  Green  on  the  14th, 
and  16th  of  that  month,  they  failed  to  fulfill  their 
agreement,  thus  complicating  matters. 

The  aspect  of  affairs  gradually  became  more 
serious.  Even  Indians  formerly  disposed  to  be 
friendly  were  implicated. 

INDIAN  OUTRAGES  AT  MANTI, 
SANPETE  COUNTY. 

Under  date  of  August  9th,  1872,  James  C. 
Brown  writes  from  Manti,  Sanpete  County,  Utah, 
to  the  "Deseret  News": 

The  Indians  are  still  around,  and  are  meaner 
than  ever.  They  have  been  stealing  horses  every 
night  during  the  week  from  the  range  and  also 
from  the  brethern's  stables.  They  took  one  of 
mine  a  few  weeks  ago.  I  got  him  back,  however, 
by  paying  for  him.  They  took  the  other  this  week. 
They  have  tried  for  several  nights  past  to  steal  from 
the  stable  of  Mayor  Tuttle  a  fine  span  of  bays,  but, 
as  yet  they  have  not  been  successful.  They  tried 
it  last  night  and  on  not  getting  them  they  crossed  the 
street  to  the  stable  of  A.  C.  Van  Buren  and  took 
one  of  his.  A  party  of  them  went  down  to  the  range 
last  evening  and  myself  and  three  others  who  were 
on  our  way  home  from  hunting  horses  saw  them  just 
about  dark.  We  felt  certain  they  wanted  to  steal 
a  band  of  horses  that  was  close  by,  we  went  to  work 


296  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


and  gathered  the  animals  together  and  took  them  to 
town.  I  expect  they  were  disappointed  at  losing  the 
band,  for  they  wantonly  shot  a  mule  with  an  arrow, 
mortally  wounding  it.  They  also  went  a  little  farther 
and  shot  down  a  steer  and,  with  their  knives  cut  it 
all  to  pieces.  They  manifest  even  a  meaner  spirit 
than  they  did  before  the  last  war.  They  went  into 
a  brothers  the  other  day  when  there  were  no  one 
at  home  but  the  latter 's  wife  and  because  she  did 
not  give  them  bread,  when  they  asked  it,  they  struck 
her  in  the  face.  Several  instances  have  occurred 
when  they  threatened  women  with  violence  for  not 
complying  with  their  demands.  The  people  are  fair- 
ly exasperated,  but  do  not  want  to  take  any  steps 
that  would  tend  to  start  an  Indian  war,  if  it  can  be 
avoided.  I  am  informed  that  a  party  of  Indians 
went  to  a  stable  in  Ephraim  a  few  nights  ago, 
and  because  they  could  not  get  the  horses  out  of 
the  stable,  crawled  in  by  a  small  opening  and  cut 
the  animals  in  a  horrible  manner. 

CHIEF  TABBY  SENDS  WORD  HE  CAN  NO 
LONGER  CONTROL  HIS  INDIANS. 

On  the  12th  of  August  General  D.  H.  Wells  re- 
ceived the  following  message  from  Colonel  R.  N.  All- 
red  of  Spring  City:  " Tabby  sends  word  to  all  the 
Bishops,  that  he  can  control  his  men  no  longer. "  He 
was  in  Spanish  Fork  Canyon  yesterday.  I  with 
a  detachment  brought  the  herd  from  Thistle  Valley 
yesterday,  having  started  as  soon  as  I  got  word  of 
the  raid  at  Fairview.  The  wounded  boy  Stewart 
is  dead." 

Next  day  R.  L.  Johnson  of  Fountain  Green,  tele- 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  297 

•  iiiiimiiniiiiiii iimmimiiimii.iiiiiiiiimiii IIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIMIIM IUIIIIMMH 

graphed  to  Indian  Agent  Dodge  for  troops  to  de- 
fend the  people  against  some  of  the  bands  of  sava- 
ges who  had  become  incensed  on  account  of  obedience 
to  Dodge's  orders  not  to  feed  them  as  he  would  furn- 
ish them  plenty  on  the  reservations. 

COL.  IVIE  SENDS  DISPATCH  TO  GEN. 
WELLS. 

Colonel  John  L.  Ivie  of  Mount  Pleasant  sent 
the  following  dispatch: 

Mount  Pleasant,  Aug.  17,  1872, 

Gov.  Geo.  L.  Woods,  care  of  Daniel  H.  Wells — 
Indian  depredations  here  last  night.  Shall  I 
call  out  the  militia  to  defend  the  place  for  services 
generally  in  this  county?  The  Indians  attacked  the 
telegraph  operator  about  11  o'clock  last  night  in 
front  of  the  office  and,  we  fear,  fatally  wounded 
him. 

John  L.  Ivie,  Colonel  of  Militia 

Also  the  following  was  sent: 

ASSAULT  UPON  JEREMIAH  D.  PAGE 
AT  MOUNT  PLEASANT. 

Mount  Pleasant,  Aug.  17th.— Gen.  D.  H.  Wells— 
As  the  telegraph  operator,  Jeremiah  D.  Page, 
was  leaving  the  office  last  night  about  11  o'clock, 
and  when  near  the  gate  by  the  office,  an  Indian 
pounced  upon  his  back  and  struck  him  three  blows, 
with  a  tomahawk,  upon  the  head,  inflicting  severe 
wounds,  one  penetrating  through  the  skull.  He  was 
in  a  critical  condition  all  night,  but  seems  a  little 


298  INDIAN  DEPBEDATIONS 


iiiiiiiiHiniin 


better  this  morning.  There  were  five  Indians  seen 
in  town  about  the  same  time  that  the  attack  was 
made  upon  Mr.  Page.  Col.  J.  L.  Ivie  detailed  a 
scouting  party  from  the  home  guard  this  morning, 
and  they  were  scouting  the  base  of  the  east  moun- 
tain. One  scout  reports  no  sign  of  Indians  in 
that  direction. 

J.  S.  Wing. 

INFORMATION  ON  ASSAULT,  BY 
BISHOP  SEELY. 

Under  date  of  Aug.  20, 1872,  Bishop  Wm.  Seely, 
of  Mt.  Pleasant  writes  to  the  Deseret  News  the  fol- 
lowing : 

On  Saturday  evening  suspicion  rested  on  Eich- 
ard  Smyth  as  being  the  person  who  assailed  our 
operator  on  the  16th.  He  was  arrested,  but  on  ac- 
count of  unavoidable  circumstances,  was  held  over 
until  today  at  ten  o'clock.  An  investigation  took 
place,  and  when  the  prisoner  was  asked  if  he  were 
guilty,  or  not  guilty,  he  pleaded  guilty  of  committing 
the  horrible  deed,  after  which  he  was  committed 
to  a  higher  court.  The  operator  said  that  he  was 
telegraphing  a  message  to  the  operators  of  the 
county,  and  while  so  doing  observed  Smyth  go  into 
an  adjoining  room,  and  return  and  place  himself 
behind  him.  He  stood  for  about  a  half  an  hour,  and 
as  quick  as  the  operator  had  finished  the  message 
and  closed  the  key  he  was  struck  down  and  knew 
no  more  until  he  found  himself  lying  on  a  lounge  in 
the  above  named  adjoining  room  with  his  head  all 
mangled  and  his  clothing  all  soaked  in  blood,  and 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  299 

Richard  Smyth  pacing  to  and  fro  with  a  hatchet  in 
his  hand.  The  latter  continued  to  walk  back  and 
forth  along  side  of  the  lounge,  making  remarks  about 
the  deed  he  had  done.  After  making  a  pause  for  some 
duration,  he  said,  Jeremiah,  hold  up  your  hands,  I 
cannot  spare  your  life  any  longer,  your  head  is  all 
chopped  into  pieces  and  your  brains  are  running  out. 
I  have  murdered  you.  The  operator  says  he  resol- 
ved in  his  mind,  weak  as  he  was,  if  a  chance  offered 
itself,  to  spring  upon  Smyth,  take  the  hatchet  and 
kill  him,  but  there  was  no  chance,  so  he  thought 
again  the  best  way  was  to  direct  his  mind  upon  the 
best  means  of  liberating  himself  and  cover  up  the 
deed;  so  from  that  Smyth  made  him  swear  not  to 
reveal  what  had  happened  for  six  months,  and  still 
kept  him  there  for  about  five  hours;  without  any 
assistance,  soaked  in  his  blood  and  perishing  with 
cold.  He  was  so  weak  and  frightened  that  he  dared 
not  reveal  anything  after  he  got  among  his  friends 
until  Smyth  had  confessed  he  did  the  deed,  when 
the  operator  made  the  above  statement. 

Signed  W.  S.  Seely. 

No  justifiable  reason  for  the  assault  on 
Page  by  Smyth  can  be  ascertained,  Smyth,  it  ap- 
pears, was  subject  to  fits  of  insanity,  and  was  prob- 
ably laboring  partially  under  an  attack  of  insanity, 
when  he  committed  the  assault. 

The  following  is  added  by  the  historian  Peter 
G-ottf  redson : 

"The  office  in  which  Jeremiah  Page  was  assailed 
by  Eichard  Smyth  was  under  the  supervision  of  An- 
thon  H.  Lund.  Besides  the  telegraph  office  Bro- 


300  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

,ii)i  HIM  in  i  in  ii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimilllllillllllilllllllilllllimillllillilllllll niiiiiiiim  minim  minimum 

ther  Lund  also  kept  a  daguerrotype  picture  gallery 
in  an  adjoining  room.  It  was  quite  customary  for 
young  people  to  meet  and  visit  there.  Brother 
Page  was  well  thought  of  and  a  favorite  with  the 
young  people,  but  not  so  much  with  Smyth,  and  it 
was  the  general  supposition  that  Smyth  was  jealous 
of  Page  and  that  this  had  much  to  do  with  the  act. 
I  was  a  resident  of  Mount  Pleasant  at  that  time 
and  well  acquainted  with  all  parties  concerned.  Page 
was  learning  telegraphy  under  Brother  Lund  and 
was  night  operator." 

On  the  morning  of  August  17th,  1872,  General 
Morrow  left  Camp  Douglas  with  a  body  of  troops  to 
take  the  field  against  the  hostiles  by  co-operation  of 
leading  men  in  the  settlements  and  friendly  Indians, 
the  General  secured  a  council  with  several  chiefs, 
and  after  a  long  pow-pow  held  in  front  of  the  resi- 
dence of  Interpreter  L.  S.  Woods  at  Springville, 
made  a  treaty  which  was  signed  by  Chiefs  Tabby, 
Douglass,  Joe,  To-kawanah,  Antero,  Wandrodes, 
Parrades  and  Tom.  Colonel  Dodge,  A.  0.  Smoot, 
Colonel  L.  John  Nuttall,  Bishop  William  Bringhurst, 
General  A.  K.  Thurber  and  General  William  B. 
Pace  and  other  citizens  were  present.  The  treaty 
provided  that  the  Indians  should  return  at  once 
to  the  Reservations.  General  Morrow  was  to  apply 
to  President  Grant  for  permission  for  several  chiefs 
to  visit  and  lay  before  him  their  grievances,  or  if 
this  was  not  agreeable,  to  ask  that  an  investigation 
commission  be  sent  out  by  the  government. 

General  Wells  had  an  interview  with  Gen.  Ord 
and  Governor  Woods  in  relation  to  Indian  affairs, 
at  which  the  former  proffered  all  the  men  and  sup- 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  301 

tlliiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiimiiimiiiiiiiin i iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiti ii  in  i  KM iiitiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiii 

plies  necessary  in  any  emergency.  Gen.  Ord  and  the 
Governor,  thought,  however,  that  there  were  suf- 
ficient troops  available  without  making  it  neces- 
sary to  call  on  citizens  who  were  not  in  the  im- 
mediate employ  of  the  government.  A  body  of  troops 
left  this  morning  for  Sanpete  and  efforts  were  being 
made,  which  we  presume  were  successful  to  obtain 
transportation  for  them  from  the  Utah  Southern 
track  to  the  scene  of  their  future  operations.  Gen- 
erale  Morrow  will  accompany  the  troops  in  person 
and  will  take  an  active  part  in  endeavoring  to  bring 
about  a  pacific  solution  of  the  grave  difficulty,  and 
thus,  if  possible,  avert,  the  dreaded  calamity  of  an 
Indian  war.  We  understand  an  invitation  will  be 
given  to  friendly  Indians  to  use  their  influence  with 
all  the  red  men,  and  an  offer  will  be  made  to  them 
to  the  effect  that  if  they  feel  so  disposed  a  deputy 
of  chiefs  can  be  organized  to  go  to  Washington, 
writh  the  view  to  visiting  the  chief  authorities  of 
the  nation  for  the  purpose  of  laying  their  grievences 
before  the  latter,  if  they  have  any,  that  they  may 
have  the  same  adjusted.  Gen.  Ord  and  the  Gov- 
ernor informed  General  Wells  yesterday  that  they 
desired  to  be  understood  by  the  people  that  them- 
selves and  their  property  would  be  amply  pro- 
tected. They  also  stated  that  should  it  be  found 
necessay  to  call  on  the  people  to  assist  the  regular 
militia,  Gen.  Wells  would  be  notified  to  that  ef- 
fect. 

INDIAN  CONFERENCE 

On    Saturday    evening    Bishop    Abraham    0. 
Smoot  and  other  leading  citizens  of  Utah  County 


302  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii  in  mum 


had  a  conference  with  the  Indians  at  Springville 
The  co-operative  herd  having  been  removed  from 
Hobble  Creek  canyon  recently,  caused  some  uneasi- 
ness among  the  red  men,as  they  construed  the  re- 
moval as  a  preparatory  measure  for  war.  Tabby 
and  Douglas,  two  chiefs  did  not  attend  the  con- 
ference, but  others  of  their  tribe  were  there  repre- 
senting them.  Tabby  expressed  his  willingness  to 
return  to  the  Uintah  reservation  on  condition  that 
they  are  supplied  with  flour,  but  say  some  of  their 
people  oppose  him  in  this. 

The  Shiberetch,  Capotah  and  Elk  Mountain 
bands  with  a  number  of  Navajoes  were  still  on  the 
war  path.  However,  the  troops  were  kept  on 
scouting  expeditions  against  them. 

TREATY  CONCLUDED  AT 
MOUNT  PLEASANT. 

On  September  17th,  General  Morrow,  Apostle 
Orson  Hyde,  Bishop  William  Seely,  Bishop  Amasa 
Tucker,  Bishop  Frederick  Olsen,  Colonel  Reddick 
N.  Allred  and  others  met  a  number  of  chiefs  who 
had  been  present  at  the  former  council.  Among 
these  were  Tabiona,  Angizebl,  White  Hare  and  some 
who  were  known  to  have  encouraged,  if  they  had  not 
taken  part  in  the  depredatory  incursions ;  all  entered 
into  a  treaty  of  peace,  and  it  was  believed  that  the 
principal  danger  of  a  war  was  passed. 

August  31st,  some  Indans  made  a  raid  on 
Spanish  Fork  stealing  some  horses. 


ATTACK  ON  FAIRVIEW  COW  HERD, 
NATHAN  STEWART  KILLED. 

August  13th,  Henry  Larter  writes  from  Mo- 
roni. On  Saturday  afternoon  Bishop  George  W. 
Bradley,  of  this  place  sent  his  two  sons,  James  and 
Jephania  into  the  cedars  with  a  team,  to  get  a  load 
of  brush.  They  went  to  a  spring  about  three  miles 
from  here  to  get  a  drink,  when  a  number  of  Indians 
with  guns  cocked,  rushed  on  the  wagon,  and  cut 
the  harness  to  pieces  and  made  off  with  the  horses. 
The  boys  made  their  escape  to  town. 

This  same  band  of  Indians  crossed  the  hills  to 
Fairview,  where  they  were  seen  riding  the  Bishop's 
horses,  and  at  whicli  place  they  came  upon  the  cow 
herd  and  commenced  shooting  at  the  herdsmen.  They 
were  Peter  Larsen,  Morten  Petersen  and  Nathan 
Steward.  Larsen  was  shot  through  the  hand  with  a 
gun,  and  also  shot  with  an  arrow  in  the  back  of 
the  neck,  the  arrow  stuck  in  the  bone,  and  one  spike 
in  his  wrist  was  broken  off,  he  rode  home.  Steward 
was  wounded,but  ran  home;  he  died  on  the  12th. 
Petersen  was  pulled  off  his  horse;  one  of  the  In- 
dians struck  him  with  his  gun  and  told  him  to  get. 
The  savages  took  both  of  their  horses.  This  hap- 
pened on  the  10th  of  August. 

HORSES  STOLEN  FROM  RICHFIELD. 

During  the  late  summer,  (have  not  been  able  to 
get  date),  I  glean  the  following  account  from  Eskild 
C.  Peterson  and  others: 


304  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

I. IIHIII. II. Illltl IIMHIIIHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIimilllllllllllllll Illllllllllllllll lllllimitlllllllfllM 

During  the  night  Indians  came  into  Richfield 
and  stole  a  pair  of  horses  belonging  to  Andrew 
Killion.  The  animals  were  tied  to  his  wagon  in  the 
southeast  part  of  town.  The  Indians  also  took  a 
band  of  horses  belonging  to  Stanley  Davis  from 
the  Prattville  meadows.  The  trashing  machine, 
horses  and  some  others  belonging  to  Archibald  W. 
Buchanan  at  Glenwood  were  also  taken.  A  com- 
pany of  fourteen  men  from  Richfield  under  Cap- 
tain Eskild  C.  Peterson  started  early  next  morning 
in  pursuit;  they  went  to  Glenwood  and  awaited 
orders.  In  the  meantime  Brigham  T.  Young  (son 
of  Joseph  A.  Young)  Stanley  Davis,  William  H. 
Seegmiller,  Cornelious  Fairbanks  and  others  were 
in  consultation  at  Prattville  and  decided  to 
send  Brother  Young  to  Manti  to  get  a  com- 
pany from  there  to  go  out  and  head  off  the 
Indians ;  it  is  said  he  asked  for  two  hundred  men  to 
go  at  once;  but  meeting  with  some  rebuff,  he  tele- 
graphed to  Salt  Lake  City  without  results.  Peter- 
sen's  company  having  awaited  in  Glenwood  till  about 
three  o'clock  without  receiving  any  instructions,  de- 
cided that  it  was  too  late  to  follow  the  thieves; 
they  went  to  Salina,  where  they  remained  during 
the  night.  There  they  learned  of  Brother  Young 
going  to  Manti,  which  was  the  cause  of  the  delay 
at  Glenwood.  Early  next  morning  they  rode  up 
Salina  Canyon  by  way  of  Soldier  Fork;  there  they 
met  Killion 's  horses  which  had  got  away  from  the  In- 
dians dragging  a  long  lassoo.  When  they  got  to 
Gooseberry  Creek  they  saw  that  the  Indians  had 
crossed  it  that  morning,  as  the  bank  was  still  wet 
from  them  crossing.  The  company  followed  till  they 
reached  the  summit  where  they  could  look  down 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  305 


iiiiiiiiimn 


into  Castle  Valley.  Not  being  prepared  to  camp 
out,  they  abandoned  the  chase  and  returned  to  Glen- 
wood  by  way  of  Grass  Valley,  crossing  into  Kings 
Meadow  Canyon  at  the  head  of  the  big  willow  patch 
through  a  very  rough t  country  and  in  a  very  dark 
night  they  got  separated  and  came  straggling  into 
Glenwood  after  day-break  hungry  and  exhausted. 

HORSES  STOLEN  FROM  FOUNTAIN  GREEN. 
(THE  PURSUIT.) 

About  this  time  on  a  Sunday  morning  P.  N. 
Guyman  and  Wm.  G.  Caldwell,  two  boys  of  Foun- 
tain Green,  Sanpete  County,  went  on  the  range  after 
some  saddle  horses  near  where  the  wagon  road  pass- 
ed through  the  hills  toward  Mount  Pleasant,  where 
the  horses  had  ranged.  Not  finding  them,  they  hunt- 
ed further  until  they  found  tracks  and  followed  them 
into  the  hills  far  enough  to  make  sure  that  Indians 
had  taken  them.  The  moccasin  tracks  showed  plainly 
where  an  Indian  had  been  off  his  horse  to  cinch  his 
saddle.  They  decided  to  return  to  town  and  re- 
port. When  they  reached  town,  Sunday  meeting  was 
in  process  and  James  Guyman,  father  of  P.  N.  Guy 
man,  was  speaking.  Young  Guyman  interrupted 
him  by  saying,  ''Let  me  say  a  word."  He  then 
related  what  they  had  found;  the  meeting  was  im- 
mediately discontinued  and  the  minute  men  went 
in  pursuit,  but  the  Indians  had  too  much  the  start 
and  was  not  overtaken.  A  company  of  U.  S.  Sol- 
diers who  were  in  town,  also  went  in  pursuit,  with 
Wm.  A.  U"yman  as  u;uide;  thev  followed  the  In- 
dians into  Strawberry  Valley  where  they  found  that 
the  Indians  separated  and  had  gone  in  different 


306  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

II llllllmimmilllllimMlllllllllllllllimlMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMII IIMMIllllllimillllm IIIIIIIIIIIIH 

directions.  Further  pursuit  would  have  been  fruit- 
less. They  found  some  horses  which  the  Indians  had 
ridden  till  they  gave  out;  they  were  left  along  the 
trail. 

DAN   MILLER   KILLED    AND    SON 
WOUNDED  NEAR  SPRING  CITY. 

The  following  sketch  of  the  last  killing  of  a 
white  man  by  Indians  during  the  Black  Hawk  up- 
rising, was  originally  prepared  by  Peter  Gottfred- 
son,  of  Richfield,  for  the  local  paper,  about  1882. 

The  last  man  killed  in  the  Indian  Wars  of  Utah 
was  Daniel  Miller  of  Nephi,  Juab  County.  The  tra- 
gedy took  place  on  the  morning  of  the  26  of  Septem- 
ber, 1872,  at  Snow  and  Douglas'  saw  mill,  in  Oak 
Creek  Canon,  Sanpete  County,  three  miles  east  of 
Spring  City.  The  mill  had  shut  down  about  a  month 
before,  it  being  considered  unsafe  to  work  there  be- 
cause of  Indians,  but  William  Higbee  stayed  there 
as  watchman. 

I  had  a  contract  to  get  out  a  bill  of  lumber  to 
finish  a  new  school  house  which  was  being  built  in 
the  Second  District  at  Mount  Pleasant,  and  Thomas 
Gledhill,  my  brother-in-law,  sixteen  years  old,  was 
helping  me.  I  was  working  three  yoke  of  oxen, 
getting  logs  to  the  mill  to  be  sawed  on  shares.  Mil- 
ler was  building  a  house  at  Nephi,  and  he  and  his 
son,  (Dan  M.  Miller),  thirteen  years  of  age,  was 
working  a  pair  of  mules  getting  out  logs  for  lum- 
ber to  finish  his  house.  All  told,  there  were  five 
of  us  at  the  mill. 

The  26th  of  September,  1872,  was  Saturday.  We 
were  all  going  home  except  Higbee.  The  house  in 
which  we  camped  was  about  two  hundred  yards  be- 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  307 

iiiiiiiiitiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMitiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiimiiiitiiiiiimiiiimMMiiiiiiiiiMi 

low  the  mill,  between  the  road  and  creek,  with  the 
door  toward  the  road  east.  About  thirty  yards 
east  of  the  house  at  the  side  of  the  road  lay  a  pile 
of  poles.  The  Indians  had  placed  two  small  poles, 
one  on  each  end  of  the  pile,  and  a  large  pole  on  top 
of  them,  making  an  opening  to  put  their  guns  through 
There  were  marks  in  the  dust  where  five  Indians 
had  lain,  ready  to  fire,  if  we  had  all  gone  out  to- 
gether. 

That  morning  we  maneuvered  differently 
from  our  usual  custom.  I  arose  at  day-break  and 
went  up  to  the  mill  to  saw  out  a  few  joints  that 
I  wanted,  which  were  not  in  the  mill  yard,  and  to 
load  my  wagon.  I  called  Gledhill  to  go  after  the 
oxen  which  were  in  the  hills  about  a  mile  south  of 
the  mill.  He  left  the  house  shortly  after  I  did. 
Soon  afterwards,  Miller  came  up  to  the  mill  and 
loaded  his  wagon,  and  in  a  short  time  Miller's  boy 
came  up  to  the  mill.  Gledhill  brought  the  oxen, 
yoked  them,  left  them  in  the  mill  yard,  and  re- 
turned to  the  house.  Soon  after  this  I  went  down 
to  breakfast  and  Miller  and  his  boy  started  away. 
They  passed  the  house  with  their  load  of  lumber, 
drove  about  one  hundred  yards  below  the  house 
around  a  patch  of  oak  brush  which  hid  them  from 
view,  and  then  stopped  to  tighten  the  binder.  The 
Indians  had  run  down  behind  a  low  ridge  where  their 
horses  were  tied  to  the  oak  brush,  and  from  am- 
bush fired  five  shot,  most  if  not  all,  taking  effect.  Mil- 
ler was  shot  through  one  arm  and  in  the  side  under 
the  arm,  and  one  bullet  passed  through  his  bowels, 
breaking  his  back.  The  boy  was  shot  through  one 
thigh  and  through  one  wrist,  the  ball  passing  be- 
tween the  two  bones. 


308  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

IIIII1IIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllltlllllllllllll MIIIIII 

We  heard  the  shooting,  but  thought  the  Millers 
were  shooting  at  a  rabbit  or  wolf  and  took  no  more 
notice  of  it.  We  finished  our  breakfast  and  all  three 
started  up  to  the  mill  after  my  team.  When  about 
half  way  up,  we  heard  the  rattle  of  a  wagon,  and 
in  looking  back  we  saw  a  man  standing  up  on  the 
wagon  driving  as  fast  as  he  could  make  the  horses 
go.  Tom  Gledhill  said,  "That  fellow  is  driving 
pretty  fast  up  hill."  I  remarked,  "he  must  have 
had  one  drink  too  many  this  morning."  Just  then 
the  man  shouted,  "There  is  a  man  shot  all  to  pieces 
below  the  house.'  We  then  knew  what  the  shooting 
was  we  had  heard  and  started  back  to  the  house  as 
fast  as  we  could  run.  We  saw  some  horsemen  south 
west  of  the  house  coming  at  full  speed  through  the 
brush,  and  thought  they  were  Indians  trying  to  head 
us  off  from  the  house,  where  we  had  left  our  guns. 
When  we  reached  the  house  we  saw  that  the  men 
\vere  from  Spring  City. 

The  Miller  boy,  when  shot,  tried  to  rin  to  the 
house,  but  the  Indians  headed  him  off.  They  had 
not  yet  reloaded.  The  boy  turned  and  ran  down  the 
road  toward  Spring  City  and  met  these  men  going 
out  to  look  for  stock.  They  had  received  word  that 
Indian  rigns  had  been  seen  the  previous  cvei-inif 
in  the  foot  hills.  Some  of  the  men  took  the  boy 
who  was  very  weak  from  the  loss  of  blood  to  Spring 
City  and  sent  a  telegram  to  Mt.  Pleasant.  Col  John 
L.  Ivie  gathered  up  a  small  posse  with  which  he 
pursued  the  Indians,  but  never  overtook  them.  Later 
Colonel  Allred  took  young  Miller  home  and  kept 
him  until  he  recovered.  Brother  Allred 's  wife  at- 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  309 


tended  him  like  a  mother  without  compensation. 

We  all  went  down  to  where  Miller  lay.  When 
shot  he  had  fallen  off  the  wagon  on  the  north 
side.  The  Indians,  without  mutilating  his  body, 
had  dragged  him  about  a  rod  from  the  wagon  and 
laid  his  face  on  a  large  bed  of  cactus.  They  had 
taken  his  gun,  pistol,  food,  bedding,  and  cooking 
utensils,  and  with  the  mules  had  made  off  in  a  north- 
easterly direction  towards  the  mouth  of  Cedar  Creek 
Canyon.  It  was  then  that  R.  N.  Bennett,  the  man 
with  the  team  drove  up.  He  had  seen  the  Indians 
leave,  but  thought  they  were  white  men.  He  saw 
the  wagon,  but  did  not  notice  that  the  tugs  were 
cut.  As  he  was  passing  the  wagon  he  heard  a  man 
moan,  and,  turning,  he  saw  Miller  lying  about  a  rod 
north.  He  stopped,  tied  the  lines,  and  went  to 
Miller  and  asked  who  had  done  this.  Miller  said, 
"Indians."  Bennett  said,  "When!"  Miller  an- 
swered, "Bight  now."  Bennett  asked  if  there  was 
anybody  at  the  mill  and  was  answered,  "Yes."  He 
then  lifted  the  old  man  off  the  cactus  and  drove  up 
to  the  mill. 

When  we  reached  the  place  where  Miller  lay,  I 
put  my  arm  under  his  neck  to  raise  him  up  for 
some  of  the  others  to  pick  the  cactus  briers  out  of 
his  face,  and  in  doing  so  I  heard  his  back  bone  grate. 
I  asked  if  it  hurt  him.  He  answered  no,  but  that 
he  was  thirsty.  One  of  the  men  stepped  to  the  wagon 
to  get  some  kind  of  a  vessel  in  which  to  fetch  some 
water,  but  the  Indians  had  taken  everything  of  that 
kind.  He,  however,  picked  up  one  of  the  bullets  that 
had  been  fired  by  the  Indians  on  the  wagon...  I  said 
'  *  My  hat  will  hold  water, ' '  and  ran  to  the  creek,  about 


310  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


Mlllllllllllll 


fifty  yards  distant,  where  I  received  a  moment's 
scare.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek  some  wil- 
lows had  been  cut  down  and  fire  had  been  through 
them.  One  willow  about  the  size  of  a  gun  barrel  had 
been  blackened  by  smoke  so  that  it  looked  bright,  and 
lay  in  such  a  position  that  it  pointed  right  at  my 
head.  I  thought  that  if  I  did  not  drop  this  instant,  I 
would  be  shot.  As  I  squatted  to  the  ground  I  saw 
what  it  was.  I  obtained  the  water  and  let  Miller 
drink  out  of  my  hat,  after  which  we  held  consulta- 
tion and  decided  to  make  a  litter  of  four  small  poles 
and  a  pair  of  Higbee's  blankets,  using  a  pair  of 
overalls  belonging  to  me  for  strings  to  lash  it  to- 
gether. Gledhill  was  sent  to  the  house  after  a  bucket, 
blankets  and  overalls.  When  he  returned  he 
was  sent  upon  an  elevation  to  guard  against  a  sur- 
prise by  Indians. 

The  Spring  City  men  made  the  litter  while  Hig- 
bee  and  I  followed  the  trail  of  the  Indians  to  learn 
if  possible,  where  they  had  gone.  "We  were  armed 
with  good  " Henry"  rifles,  and  followed  the  trail 
to  the  mouth  of  Cedar  Creek  canyon,  about  two 
miles,  where  the  Indians  had  gone  up  a  wide  hol- 
low with  large  oak  brush  on  both  sides.  I  told 
Higbee  that  I  was  going  there,  as  it  gave  the  Indians 
too  good  a  chance  to  ambush  us  without  our  get- 
ting a  chance  at  them.  He  then  said  that  he  would 
go  alone,  and  went  on.  I  went  onto  a  ridge  where 
I  could  look  around  and  could  see  no  Indians,  but 
saw  one  of  Miller's  mules  feeding  a  short  distance 
north  with  the  harness  on.  I  feared  it  might  have 
been  left  there  for  a  decoy  to  get  us  into  a  trap,  but 
as  the  mule  was  feeding  contentedly,  I  concluded 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  311 

that  it  had  been  left  because  it  was  too  slow  to  make 
headway.  I  secured  the  mule  and  took  it  back  to  the 
wagon.  When  I  reached  the  vehicle  the  men  were 
ready  to  start  with  Miller.  Some  of  the  men  had 
gone  up  to  the  mill  and  brought  down  my  team. 

The  Spring  City  men  carried  Miller,  one  at  each 
corner  of  the  litter,  and  Grledhill  took  Miller's 
wagon  with  one  yoke  of  my  oxen.  I  drove  my  wagon 
with  the  other  two  yoke.  Having  travelled  about 
half  the  distance  to  Spring  City,  Miller  said  he 
was  tired  and  wanted  them  to  lay  him  down  in  the 
road  to  rest.  We  all  gathered  around  him.  I  asked 
him  if  he  would  like  us  to  take  any  word  to  his 
family  if  he  should  not  live  to  see  them.  His  eyes 
were  turning  glassy.  He  said  he  had  nothing  on 
his  mind,  but  would  like  to  see  his  twins  before  he 
died.  We  learned  later  that  a  pair  of  twin  baby 
boys  had  recently  been  born  to  him.  We  asked  him 
if  he  wanted  us  to  take  vengeance  on  the  Indians. 
He  said,  "No,  they  don't  know  any  better."  He 
said  he  knew  some  of  the  Indians,  one  was  Taby- 
any,  and  there  were  five  of  them.  Other  things 
were  said  that  I  do  not  call  to  mind.  We  could  see 
that  he  was  too  low  to  proceed,  and  in  a  short  time 
the  poor  fellow  expired.  Colonel  Allred  came  up 
with  a  wagon,  and  his  body  was  carried  down  to 
Spring  City.  That  night  his  family,  who  had  been 
telegraphed  at  Nephi,  came  to  Spring  City  and  took 
charge  of  his  remains. 

Orson  Hyde  sent  the  following  telegram  to  Salt 
Lake  City,  dated  September  26th,  1872. 

' '  The  Indians  are  upon  us.    Several  horses  were 
stolen  last  night.  This  morning  a  man  was  shot  off 


312  INDIAN  DEPBEDATIONS 

a  load  of  lumber  and  his  little  boy  wounded  in  the 
hip  and  wrist.  The  man  is  said  to  be  Miller  from 
Salt  Creek." 

It  was  generally  believed  that  the  Indians  mis- 
took Mr.  Miller  for  Bernard  Snow,  as  they  had  the 
same  kind  of  team,  a  gray  and  a  bay  mule,  and 
Snow  often  had  a  boy  with  him.  The  Indians  did 
not  like  Bernard  Snow. 

In  one  of  the  raids  on  Ephraim  Bernard  Snow, 
the  veteran  actor  who  was  building  a  mill  at  the 
mouth  of  the  canyon  near  the  settlement  sustained 
during  several  hours  a  lonely  but  heroic  siege;  the 
savages  surrounded  the  mill,  but  the  gallant  de- 
fender kept  up  a  fire  so  vigorous  that  they  were 
forced  to  retire.  (Copied  from  Whitney's  History 
of  Utah.) 

GENERAL  MORROWS  RECOMENDATION  TO  INDIAN 

AGENT  DODGE. 

INDIANS  GO  TO  WASHINGTON  TO  IN- 
TERVIEW PRESIDENT  GRANT. 

This  was  the  last  serious  raid  made  by  the  hos- 
tiles,  and  matters  soon  quieted  down  to  their  normal 
condition.  The  settlers  had  suffered  more  severely 
than  they  otherwise  would  have  done  both  in  loss 
of  life  and  property  because  of  the  proclamation  of 
Governor  Shafer,  and  Acting  Governor  Black,  pro- 
hibiting the  assembling  of  the  militia.  Governor 
Woods  refused  to  rescind  that  order  when  applied 
to  in  July  of  the  same  year,  even  to  enable  the  peo- 
ple to  defend  themselves.  Of  the  action  of  tjhe 
citizens  in  obeying  the  edict  of  the  Executive,  Gen- 
eral Morrow  said  in  his  report  to  Indian  agent, 


INDIAN  DEPKEDATIONS  313 


IIIIIIIMIIIII 


Dodge:  "I  think  I  may  say  with  truthfullness  that 
there  is  not  another  American  community  in  the 
nation  which  would  have  endured  half  the  outrages 
these  people  have  endured  without  rising  up  as  one 
man  to  drive  out  the  savage  invaders  at  the  point 
of  the  bayonet.  On  any  principle  of  self  defense 
they  would  have  been  justified  in  doing  this.  In 
the  same  letter  the  General  made  the  following  re- 
commendation :  ' '  Now,  sir,  I  have  given  you  a  plain 
statement  of  facts,  and  I  desire  to  invite  your  at- 
tention,  and  through  you  the  attention  of  the  Indian 
Department,  in  the  justice  and  propriety  of  making 
this  people  some  recompense  for  their  losses.  This 
may  be  done,  I  believe,  from  the  appropriation  made 
by  Congress  for  these  tribes.  It  is  only  an  act 
of  simple  justice  to  the  poor  people  who  have  suf- 
fered so  severely  that  it  should  be  done.  It  is  some 
time  since  I  had  occasion  to  examine  the  subject,  but 
I  believe  there  is  a  law  of  Congress,  I  think  of  1834, 
which  authorizes  compensation  to  be  made  in  cases 
like  the  present,  and  prescribes  the  manner  in  which 
it  shall  be  done.  If  this  course  is  pursued  now, 
it  will  not  only  be  proper  in  itself  as  an  act  of 
justice  to  the  people,  but  it  will  also  teach  the 
Indians  that  they  cannot  commit  depredations  with 
impunity. ' ' 

To  General  Morrow's  letter,  Colonel  Dodge  re- 
plied :  "  I  fully  concur  with  you  in  all  the  statements 
you  have  herein  made,"  adding,  "Your  reference 
to  the  great  losses  on  the  part  of  the  citizens  of  the 
disturbed  district  is  eminently  just,  and  I  shall  do 
everything  in  my  power  to  bring  such  relief  to  the 
sufferers  as  the  law  will  allow. ' '  He  also  supported 


314  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

General  Morrow's,  application  in  behalf  of  the  In- 
dians, asking  permission  for  a  delegation  of  chiefs 
to  visit  President  Grant.  This  application  was 
favorably  acted  upon,  and  on  October  17th,  Chief 
Wandrodes,  Antero,  Tabiona,  and  Kanosh  accom- 
panied by  Judge  George  W.  Bean  of  Provo  as  in- 
terpreter, left  Salt  Lake  City  with  Special  Agent 
Dodge  to  confer  with  the  "Great  Father"  at  Wash- 
ington. Since  then  depreciatory  acts  by  Indians  in 
Utah  have  been  rare. 

UTE  DIALECT,  TRADITION  AND  LEGENDS. 
By  D.  B.  Huntington. 

Numbers 

One  Soos 

Two  Wy-une 

Three Pi-une 

Four  Wats-u-ene 

Five  Man-i-gin 

Six  Nav-i-une 

Seven  Tat-su-ene 

Eight  Ni-wat-su-ene 

Nine  Sur-rom-su-ene 

Ten  Tom-su-ene 

Eleven  Tom-su-ene-soos  spinko 

Twelve  Tom-su-ene  Wy-une  spinko 

Thirteen .....Tom-su-ene  pi-une  spinko 

Fourteen  Tom-su-ene  wats-u-ene  spinko 

Fifteen Tom-su-ene  man-i-gin  spinko 

Sixteen Tom-su-ene  nav-i-une  spinko 

Seventeen Tom-su-ene  tat-su-ene  spinko 

Eighteen  Tom-su  ene  ni-wat-su-ene  spinko 

Nineteen Tom-su-ene  sur-rom-su-ene  spinko 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  315 

Twenty  Wamp-su-ene 

Twenty  one Wamp-su-ene  soos  spinko 

Thirty  Pam-su-ene 

Forty Wats-u-ene  tom-su-ene 

Fifty Man-i-gin  tom-su-ene 

Sixty Nav-i-une  tom-su-ene 

Seventy Tat-su-ene  tom-su-ene 

Eighty Ni-wat-su-ene  tom-su-ene 

Ninety  Sur-rom-su-ene  tom-su-ene 

One  hundred  Soos  meh 

THE  TRADITIONS  OF  THE  UTAH  INDIANS  IN  RE- 
LATION TO  THE  CREATION  OF  THE  WORLD. 

When  the  gods  made  the  world  it  was  dark 
all  over  the  face  of  the  earth;  and  they  said  let 
us  have  light;  and  the  chief  said,  I  will  make  it; 
I  have  no  arrow  long  enough  to  penetrate  through 
the  darkness.  So  he  groped  about  and  found  some 
willows  (Cannab),  and  broke  the  longest  one  he  could 
find,  put  it  upon  his  bow  and  shot  upwards.  In  a 
short  time  a  small  star  appeared.  They  watched 
it  and  it  soon  began  to  grow ;  light  came  in,  the  ori- 
fice expanded,  the  darkness  disappeared,  and  they 
could  see  to  divide  the  water  from  the  land ;  and  they 
made  dry  ground,  and  the  rivers,  lakes,  springs,  and 
small  streams,  and  they  all  sang  together. 

THE  FLOOD. 

The  people  of  the  earth  a  long  time  ago  be- 
came exceedingly  wicked,  and  the  Lord  sent  out  a 
proclamation  for  all  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  whole 


316  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

•«•»"» »• iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiii in MM tiiiiiiiiiiimiimimiiiiiiii ,>,,: 

earth  to  come  together,  for  he  wanted  to  talk  to 
them.  They  met  in  a  large  valley  and  the  Lord  came 
down  and  stood,  one  foot  on  one  mountain  and  the 
other  foot  upon  another  mountain;  but  the  people 
would  not  listen  to  Him.  He  then  called  all  of  his 
friends  to  come  to  Him.  They  came  two  of  every 
kind  of  beasts,  and  a  few  men,  women  and  children, 
and  they  made  a  covenant  to  hearken  unto  Him. 
The  others  kept  talking  and  would  not  hear  Him. 
Then  the  Lord  was  angry;  he  stooped  down  and 
pulled  up  a  large  tree  and  whipped  every  living 
thing  to  death  except  his  friends,  and  then  He  told 
them  to  go  and  throw  or  scatter  their  young  upon 
all  the  face  of  the  land  and  be  His  friends. 

ELIJAH  FED  BY  RAVENS. 

A  great  many  moons  ago  a  woman  strayed  off 
and  got  lost  from  her  lodge.  She  became  very  hun- 
gry, and  cried  to  the  Lord  for  food,  and  He  sent 
ravens  to  carry  her  food  for  many  days.  After  a 
while  she  found  her  lodge,  and  there  was  great  re- 
joicing among  here  people  when  she  told  them  what 
the  ravens  had  done. 

THE   CRUCIFIXION   OF   CHRIST. 

A  great  many  years  ago  the  Lord  (Towats) 
lived  in  the  Piede  country.  His  house  is  standing  at 
this  time.  He  had  a  son  who  died  and  when  he 
died  the  earth  was  broken  up;  there  were  earth- 
quakes and  terrible  thunderings  and  lightnings.  It 
was  very  dark  for  three  days  and  nights.  It  was 
so  dark  the  people  could  feel  the  darkness  with 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  317 

their  fingers ;  and  all  of  this  time  they  were  howling 
and  crying,  for  they  could  not  make  fire  burn.  They 
had  to  eat  all  their  meat  raw.  The  third  day  His  son 
came  to  life  and  the  darkness  disappeared,  and  there 
was  great  rejoicing.  The  Lord  had  a  brother,  but 
they  were  not  on  friendly  terms  with  each  other. 
And  he,  the  brother,  had  a  son  who  died,  and  his 
father  went  to  the  Lord  (his  brother)  to  ask  him  why 
it  was  not  dark.  The  Lord  told  him  it  was  because 
he  opposed  him  in  all  things.  The  Lord's  brother's 
name  was  Shinnob.  The  Lord  told  him  to  go  home, 
cut  off  his  hair,  burn  up  his  lodge,  kill  his  horses, 
howl,  and  lacerate  his  flesh,  for  the  third  day  his 
son  would  stink;  and  it  was  so.  Hence  comes  the 
tradition,  which  is ;  That  when  they  die  their  spirits 
go  to  a  large  canon  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains 
where  there  is  plenty  of  game,  and  they  hate  to 
have  their  relatives  die  and  go  poor  to  the  hunting 
grounds.  This  is  the  reason  why  they  kill  the  dead 
man's  horses  to  go  with  him  for  him  to  ride.  It  is 
customary  with  them  to  kill  a  prisoner  or  some 
poor  person  to  go  with  them  to  wait  on  them. 

WAH-KEE'S  HISTORY. 

Wah-ker  was  born  about  the  year  1815,  on  the 
Spanish  Fork  River,  Utah  County,  Utah  Territory, 
and  was  one  of  the  shrewdest  of  men.  He  was  a 
natural  man ;  read  from  natures  books.  He  was  very 
fond  of  liquor;  but  when  in  liquor  you  could  not 
get  him  to  make  a  trade. 

Wah-ker  means  "yellow,"  or  " brass."  When 
about  twenty  five  years  of  age  he  had  a  curious  vi- 
sion. He  died  and  his  spirit  went  to  heaven.  He 


318  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

iiiiini IIMII llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllliiiiiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin mini 1 1  in  i  in  u  mi 

saw  the  Lord  sitting  upon  a  throne  dressed  in  white. 
The  Lord  told  him  he  could  not  stay;  he  had  to 
return.  He  desired  to  stay,  but  the  Lord  told  him 
that  he  must  return  to  earth;  that  there  would 
come  to  him  a  race  of  white  people  that  would  be 
his  friends,  and  he  must  treat  them  kindly.  The 
Lord  gave  him  a  new  name.  It  was  Pan-a-karry 
Quin-ker  (Iron  twister)  in  1846  or  '47  he  went  to 
California  with  a  lot  of  Piede  prisoners.  He  frighten- 
ed the  Piedes  into  giving  him  their  children,  which  he 
took  to  lower  California  to  trade  for  horses  to  enrich 
himself,  taking  many  of  his  tribe  with  him.  The  Span- 
iards gave  him  numbers  of  beef  cattle  and  charged 
him  for  them,  where  upon  he  started  for  home.  When 
out  two  days  he  called  a  halt,  held  a  council,  and  sent 
the  old  men,  women  and  children  on  towards  home. 
The  third  day  ten  men  returned  to  visit  the  Span- 
iards. Each  man  visited  different  ranches,  and  took 
a  large  number  of  horses.  The  Spaniards  raised  a 
large  force  and  pursued  them,  and  recoverd  many, 
but  lost  six  or  seven  hundred  head  of  wild  horses, 
for  which  the  Mexicans  offered  a  large  reward.  The 
Jndians  pushed  the  horses  so  hard  that  they  lost 
several  on  the  desert. 

He  remained  king  of  the  mountains  until  about 
1852,  when  he  inaugurated  what  is  called  the  Wah- 
ker  war,  through  which  many  whites  lost  their  lives ; 
and  which  cost  Utah  Territory  over  a  million  dol- 
lars. 

Soon  after  he  was  taken  sick  near  Fillmore, 
in  Millard  County,  and  was  ill  but  a  short  time  when 
he  was  stricken  with  death,  being  blind  for  three 
days.  He  would  have  the  men  raise  him  up,  when 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  319 

Him 11,1111,  I  I,  1,1,  MM  I MMMMMI, ||| 11111111 111111111111 I  III  I  1 1 1  1 1 1  1 1  I  1 1  I  III 

he  would  talk  to  them,  telling  them  not  to  fight  the 
whites  as  he  had  done.  When  he  died  there  was  a 
terrible  howling.  The  men  jumped  upon  their  horses 
and  killed  seven  head  of  horses,  one  Piede  woman 
(a  prisoner),  and  one  boy,  and  carried  Wah-ker  up 
into  the  mountains,  put  his  body  into  a  cliff  of 
rocks,  walled  it  up  and  put  a  Piede  boy  in  with 
him  alive.  Three  days  after,  as  some  Indians  were 
riding  by,  the  boy  called  out  to  them  and  asked  to 
be  let  out.  He  said  Wah-ker  began  to  stink  and  he 
was  hungry.  They  laughed  at  him  and  rode  on. 

Wah-ker  had  three  brothers :  Ara-pene,  Sam- 
pitch,  and  Tabby.  Tabby  is  at  present  the  head  chief 
of  the  Utahs  proper,  and  is  on  the  Uintah  reser- 
vation. (1872.) 

Ara-pene  was  a  great  orator,  but  a  hard- 
hearted man.  At  one  time  in  Manti  he  got  mad 
at  his  wife  and  burned  her  in  a  fearful  manner  with 
a  frying-pan  handle  that  was  broken  off  the  pan. 
She  crawled  to  the  settlement  and  the  white  women 
nursed  her  until  she  recovered. 

At  another  time  he  came  down  out  of  the  moun- 
tains with  some  deer-skins  and  a  Piede  prisoner,  a 
small  boy,  to  trade.  The  price  was  too  high  for  the 
child,  whereupon,  in  rage,  he  took  the  child  by  his 
heels  and  dashed  his  brains  out  by  thrashing  the 
ground  with  his  head. 

In  1849,  when  fifty  of  us  were  exploring  the 
' '  Dixie ' '  country,  in  the  month  of  December,  we  met 
Ara-pene  on  his  way  from  the  mountains  on  the  Se- 
vier  river,  coming  down  to  winter.  An  old  squaw 
had  a  long  roll  of  cedar  bark,  one  end  of  which  was 
on  fire  so  as  to  light  a  fire  quickly.  We  all  camped 


320  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


together.  Ara-pene  had  one  daughter,  about  nine 
years  old,  and  she  was  very  sick  with  measles.  She 
died  that  night ;  and  the  Indians  held  a  council  whe- 
ther to  kill  one  of  us  or  a  Piede  prisoner,  a  boy 
about  six  years  old,  to  send  with  the  daughter.  In 
the  morning  two  young  men  came  out  of  Ara-pene 's 
lodge,  loading  their  rifles  and  driving  the  Piede  be- 
fore them.  I  shall  never  forget  how  pitiful  he  looked, 
for  he  knew  what  his  fate  was.  He  asked  to  take 
off  his  moccasins  and  was  refused.  It  was  very  cold. 
They  drove  him  about  four  rods  from  camp,  when 
both  fired  and  the  poor  little  fellow  rolled  down 
from  off  the  little  knoll  on  which  he  stood.  He  was 
buried  along  with  the  girl. 

THE  UTES. 

Have  no  marriage  ceremony.  They  buy  and 
sell  their  women  and  daughters.  They  have  many 
wives  and  the  women  do  the  hard  work,  dressing 
all  their  skins.  When  the  hunters  return  from  a 
hunt,  if  he  brings  in  any  game  the  women  unload  it 
and  unsaddle  the  horses.  The  hunter  does  nothing 
more  until  the  meat  is  gone,  when  the  women  bring 
up  the  horse,  saddle  him,  and  he  goes  on  the  hunt. 
The  men  are  intensely  fond  of  gambling,  horse-rac- 
ing and  shooting  at  the  target.  The  women  love 
to  gamble  with  sticks  for  beads  and  paints,  etc; 
and  are  also  fond  of  playing  ball  in  summer  time. 
They  are  very  affectionate  to  their  children. 

The  Utes  have  no  religious  ceremonies,  but  are 
great  for  doctoring.  A  "medicine-man"  is  looked 
upon  as  one  that  can  handle  the  thunder  balls  and 
stand  in  the  fire  with  his  bare  feet.  Their  medicine 


HANS    J.    GOTTFREDSON 

Who  for  seven  years  employed  Indians  lo  work  for  him.  Boating 
on  the  Colorado  River,  at  Eldorado  Canyon.  IST'J  to  is*u.  lie  ramp- 
ed  with  them  and  learned  their  Ijuijjna^e.  traditions  and  legends. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  321 

is  princpally  singing  and  sucking. 

I  never  saw  an  Indian  with  a  bald  head,  and 
they  have  but  very  few  decayed  teeth.  They  pluck 
out  their  beards  and  eyebrows.  They  are  very  much 
afraid  of  witches  and  crazy  people,  .and  believe  in 
making  medicine  on  paper  to  kill  people. 

UTE  AND  PIUTE  TRADITIONS. 
By  H.  J.  Gottfredson. 

The  Ute  and  Piute  Indians  have  traditions  very 
similar.  Hans  J.  Gottfredson  was  in  business  at 
Eldorado  Canyon  on  the  Colorado  River  for  about 
seven  years,  and  employed  Piute  Indians  to  work 
for  i  im.  He  camped  out  with  them  a  considerable 
and  from  them  learned  some  of  their  traditions  with 
regard  to  the  creation,  and  the  Lord's  dealings  with 
his  children.  They  believe  when  the  earth  was 
created  that  it  was  level  and  beautiful,  that  fruit 
and  vegetation  grew  spontaneously,  that  game  was 
plentiful  everywhere  and  that  all  was  peace,  that  God 
(Towats)  lived  in  the  south,  and  that  the  Lord  had 
two  sons.  The  elder  son,  who  was  independent  and 
could  always  take  care  of  himself,  was  the  father  of 
the  Indians  who  inherit  his  nature:  the  younger 
was  a  cry  baby  always  wanting  everything  he  saw, 
and  he  is  the  father  of  the  white  people.  The  Lord 
granted  him  his  desires,  and  the  whites  inherit  his 
disposition,  that  is  the  reason  why  the  white  people 
are  smarter  in  getting  and  in  inventing  and  mak- 
ing things.  But  as  orators  they  are  not  the  equals 
of  the  Indians. 

At  one  time  the  father  became  vexed  at  his 
children  for  some  cause  or  other  and  tearing  through 


322  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

the  country  from  south  to  north  he  tore  up  the  land 
as  he  went  along,  leaving  it  in  the  present  condi- 
tion, with  mountains,  hills  and  deserts  and  not  fer- 
tile as  it  was.  But  that  he  will  sometime  come  back 
and  level  the  land  and  make  it  as  it  was  before.  Then 
it  will  be  the  happy  hunting  ground.  The  Indians 
are  superstitious  and  believe  there  is  some  kind  of 
charm  about  writing  and  making  pictures.  They 
also  believe  in  Satan  (Shin-nob)  who  is  always  bent 
on  doing  harm,  that  he  delights  in  seeing  people  do 
wrong.  They  do  not  serve  God,  because  he  is  good 
and  will  not  harm  any-thing;  but  they  serve  Satan 
through  fear;  they  want  to  keep  peace  with  him. 
Many  of  them,  when  they  eat,  throw  the  first  bite 
over  their  left  shoulders,  and  when  asked  what  that 
is  for,  they  say  that  is  to  feed  Satan  to  keep  peace 
with  him.  They  believe  that  the  white  people  can 
write  to  him  and  he  will  cause  sickness  or  trouble  to 
come  onto  others.  And  should  you  write  the  name 
of  an  Indian  on  a  slip  of  paper  and  tell  him  that  yon 
was  going  to  send  it  to  Lucifer,  the  Indian  would 
risk  his  life,  if  necessary  to  get  possession  of  it. 
"When  trouble  comes  to  them,  they  think,  that  if  they 
do  something  to  please  him,  it  will  stop  the  trouble. 

The  writer  had  some  acquaintance  with  the  In- 
dians in  the  early  sixties,  they  were  hospitable  if 
a  person  came  to  their  camp  hungry,  and  they  ex- 
pected the  same  from  the  whites.  If  they  were 
trusted  with  anything,  they  could  as  a  rule  be  de- 
pended upon,  and  were  generally  truthful ;  they  dis- 
pised  a  falsifier.  There  were  many  small  bands  of 
Indians  in  the  country  at  that  time,  and  we  could 
run  onto  an  Indian  camp  in  many  places.  In  the 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  323 

Mllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllltllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll 

summer  of  1864  I  was  herding  cattle  and  sheep  in 
Thistle  Valley.  Once  I  followed  some  cattle  tracks 
into  the  west  mountains  traveling  over  hills  and 
canyons  for  about  fifteen  miles  to  Mount.  Nebo. 
As  it  was  late  in  the  day,  night  soon  overtook  me. 
I  had  with  me  my  Kentucky  rifle  and  a  dog.  The 
night  was  dark  and  as  I  could  not  remember  how 
many  canyons  I  had  crossed  I  went  down  the 
wrong  canyon.  Near  midnight  I  was  attacked  by 
a  lot  of  dogs  and  I  knew  they  were  Indian  dogs. 
They  were  fierce  and  had  it  not  been  for  my  dog, 
it  is  hard  telling  what  the  result  would  have  been. 
I  yelled  when  some  Indians  got  out  of  their  blankets 
and  came  up  and  called  off  the  dogs.  I  went  down 
with  them  to  their  camp.  They  knew  me  and  said 
that  I  was  the  sheep  captain.  Some  young  squaws 
came  out  and  stirred  up  a  fire  and  roasted  deer 
meat  for  me.  They  offered  me  some  of  their  bread 
which  was  made  of  berries  and  large  wingless  black 
crickets  the  size  of  the  end  of  my  thumb,  they  call  it 
Queash.  I  showed  them  the  cricket  legs  and  said  they 
were  "Kay-wi-no."  not  good.  They  laughed  at  me. 
The  Indians  offered  me  blankets  to  sleep  in  but  as 
I  told  them  that  my  folks  would  be  worried  about  me 
and  would  be  out  at  daylight  hunting  for  me.  An  In 
dian  went  down  the  canyon  with  me  about  a  mile 
to  where  a  trail  led  into  Thistle  Valley,  and  I  got 
to  camp  about  daylight. 

The  Indians  realized  that  they  were  being 
crowded  off  their  hunting  grounds  and  would  often 
tell  us  so ;  they  wanted  cattle,  horses  or  sheep  in 
payment  for  it  They  never  stayed  long  on  a  camp- 
ground, but  moved  to  new  hunting  grounds  and  pas- 


324  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 


tures  where  feed  could  be  found  for  their  horses.  In 
the  morning  before  breaking  camp,  the  Chief  would 
call  the  Indians  around  him  and  talk  to  them  for  half 
an  hour  or  so,  instructing  them  as  to  their  move- 
ments. Then  each  would  go  to  their  several  tasks 
some  would  go  hunting  on  the  way  to  the  new  camp 
ground.  The  squaws  did  the  packing  and  moving  of 
camp  while  the  men  and  boys  gathered  up  the  horses 
and  did  the  easy  work. 

They  loved  hunting,  and  as  scouts  and  trailers 
they  were  far  superior  to  white  men.  If  a  twig  had 
been  newly  broken,  or  a  stone  moved  they  always 
noticed  it  and  learned  the  cause.  They  were  so 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  mountain  trails,  can- 
yons and  watering  places,  and  knew  the  hiding 
places  in  case  of  danger  or  pursuit  so  well,  that  they 
were  hard  to  locate.  They  would  often  travel  long 
distances  without  leaving  any  tracks  or  signs,  by 
walking  on  rocks,  or  wading  in  streams,  and  thus 
conceal  their  movements.  They  generally  made 
small  fires  and  hovered  closely  over  them,  burn- 
ing mostly  sage  brush,  which  made  the  best  embers 
and  coals  and  kept  the  fire  better,  when  covered, 
than  other  wood.  They  thought  white  men  foolish 
for  making  large  fires  and  have  to  sit  back.  The 
Indians  always  smelled  smoky  because  of  sitting  over 
their  small  fires  so  much,  and  being  in  their  wicki- 
ups. 

AN  EXPLORING  TRIP  AND  TREATIES  WITH  IN- 
DIANS  IN   GRASS   VALLLEY   AND   VICINITY, 
BY  A.  K.  THURBER.  G.  W.  BEAN  AND 
OTHERS. 

On  or  about  the  1st  of  June,  1873,  President 
Brigham  Young  and  Council  called  Bishop  Albert 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  325 

K.  Thurber  and  Wm.  Jex  of  Spanish  Pork,  George 
W.  Bean,  Bishop  Abraham  Halladay,  General  Wm. 
B.  Pace  and  George  Evans,  of  Provo  and  some  others 
to  take  a  party  and  explore  the  country  southeast 
of  Sevier  Valley  and  make  treaties  of  peace  with 
the  Indians  in  that  vicinity.  Consequently,  on  the 
4th  of  June,  1873,  a  party  of  ten  men  left  Provo, 
Pleasant  Grove  and  American  Fork.  At  Spanish 
Fork  four  other  men  joined  and  at  Warm  Creek 
(Fayette)  one  at  Nephi,  and  at  Salina  one  more  man 
joined.  From  Richfield,  Glenwood  and  Prattville 
came  five  more  men.  The  noted  Chief  Tabiona  ac- 
companied them  as  guide.  The  party  fitted  out 
with  saddle  and  pack  horses,  and  started  out  on 
Indian  trals  southeast  over  the  mountains.  George 
W.  Bean  had  previously  acted  as  Indian  interpre- 
ter for  President  Young,  and  also  for  the  govern- 
ment. Bishop  Thurber  could  also  speak  the  Ute 
language  and  Chief  Tabiona  accompanied  them  both 
as  guide  and  as  mediator  between  the  Indians  and 
Whites.  Interpreter  Bean  had  obtained  from  the 
government  two  pack-horse  loads  of  blankets,  shawls, 
beads,  butcher  knives,  calicos  and  numerous  other 
articles,  such  as  the  Indians  like,  to  give  to  them  in 
order  to  obtain  their  good  will,  and  keep  peace 
with  them. 

We  left  Prattville  June  llth,  1873  and  camped 
at  Brimhall  Springs.  Next  morning  we  traveled  up 
a  nice  narrow  valley  through  grass  which  in  places 
touching  our  stirrups,  and  at  the  head  of  the  valley 
we  found  a  large  grizzly  bear  that  had  just  been 
killed  and  skinned;  it  looked  as  large  as  a  cow, 
so  they  named  the  place  Bear  Valley,  and  it  still 


326  INDIAN  DEPBEDATIONS 


retains  the  name.  About  half  a  mile  farther  on  was 
a  bunch  of  quaking-asp,  the  largest  about  seven 
or  eight  inches  in  diameter.  We  noticed  that  one 
of  the  trees  had  the  bark  pealed  off  half  way  around 
up  about  seven  feel  from  the  ground.  We  learned 
later  that  the  bear  had  an  Indian  up  that  tree  for 
about  twenty-four  hours,  and  he  was  in  such  a  hurry 
getting  up  that  he  dropped  his  gun,  but  later  killed 
the  bear. 

On  the  night  of  the  12th  we  camped  on  the 
spot  where  Burrville  is  now  located.  Here  we  no- 
ticed the  prettiest  natural  meadows  that  I  ever  saw, 
and  there  was  bunch-grass  al]  over  the  hills.  Hence 
we  named  the  place  Grass  Valley.  Next  day,  the 
13th,  we  reached  Fish  Lake  about  3  o'clock  p.  m. 
There  we  saw  our  first  Indian;  he  was  after  fish; 
but  as  soon  as  he  saw  us,  he  jumped  onto  his 
pony  and  rode  up  the  creek  through  the  quaking- 
asp  timber  as  if  he  expected  to  be  shot  at  every 
minute.  Tabiona  called  for  him  to  stop,  but  he  kept 
going.  Some  of  the  members  of  our  company  be- 
came a  little  uneasy,  knowing  that  the  band  was 
camped  not  far  away.  I  unsaddled  right  quick  and 
ran  over  to  where  the  Indian  had  been  fishing,  and 
there  was  about  forty  fish  lying  on  the  up.nk  of 
the  creek  and  thousands  more  in  the  little  c^eek 
(Doctor  Creek.)  I  ran  down  the  little  stream  three 
or  four  rods  and  started  to  throw  out  fish.  By  the 
time  the  others  had  un-saddled  and  unpacked  they 
came  and  stopped  me.  I  think  I  had  about  300 
fish  and  I  was  down  on  my  knees  throwing  them 
out  with  both  hands.  They  threw  back  those  that 
were  still  alive  but  we  took  210  to  camp.  It  will 


INDIAN  DEPBEDATIONS  327 

be  well  to  state  that  the  fish  in  this  locality  go  up 
the  small  streams  to  spawn  in  such  numbers  that 
they  can  hardly  move.  We  cleaned  and  salted  what 
we  had  taken,  and  got  the  Indians  to  dry  and  smoke 
them  and  bring  them  to  Cedar  Grove  in  Grass  Val- 
ley twelve  days  later — two  seamless  sacks  full.  We 
prepared  supper  early,  and  after  picketing  and  hob- 
bling our  horses  (keeping  them  between  our  camp 
and  the  lake)  we  made  our  beds  scattered  in  the 
brush.  It  was  agreed  that  all  were  to  keep  quiet 
and  lie  low.  Tabiona,  my  father  or  A.  K.  Thurber 
being  the  only  ones  allowed  to  talk.  Not  long  after 
dark,  our  horses  began  to  snort  and  make  an  awful 
fuss,  trying  to  get  loose.  Tabiona  called  out  and  be- 
gan talking;  then  also  my  father  and  Thurber.  Ta- 
biona spoke  again,  and  finally  two  old  squaws  an- 
swered him  and  came  into  camp.  We  gave  them 
presents  and  sent  them  back  to  their  camp;  they 
soon  returned  with  about  half  the  tribe.  Old  Poga- 
neab  (Fish  captain)  their  chief,  tried  to  keep  them 
from  coming  and  was  on  the  fight.  A  little  later 
most  of  his  fighting  men  came  in  and  said  it  was 
safe  to  build  fires,  and  about  midnight  the  chief 
and  his  two  squaws,  and  eight  or  ten  more,  came 
into  camp. 

We  talked  to  them,  and  gave  them  presents  till 
about  two  o'clock  in  the  night.  We  then  sent  them 
to  their  camp,  but  told  them  to  come  back  in  the 
morning. 

We  had  a  big  talk  all  day.  At  the  meeting 
Tabiona  spoke  and  said  that  when  at  Washington 
visiting  the  Great  White  Chief  (President  U.  S. 
Grant)  he  saw  three  persons  of  fine  appearance, 


328  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

dressed  in  white  robes  and  they  had  long  white 
flowing  beards;  the  friends  to  the  Indians,  the 
white  men  did  not  see  them,  but  he  die!  Some 
also  thought  that  they  might  be  the  three  Nephites 
spoken  of  in  the  Book  of  Mormon.  Old  Poga-neab 
became  very  friendly,  and  accompanied  us  on  foot 
all  the  way  round  till  we  met  the  tribe  at  the  council 
previously  arranged  at  Cedar  Grove.  One  of  his  SOPS 
went  with  us.  We  left  Fish  Lake  June  151  h  and 
went  to  the  place  where  Thurher  is  now  located.  .A. 
K.  Thurber  liked  the  creek  and  location  so  well  that 
we  named  the  place  Thurber  in  his  honor.  Next 
day  we  went  to  the  lower  end  of  Rabbit  Valley,  and 
during  the  day  we  caught  a  lone  wild  horse,  and 
an  antelope.  Twenty  seven  of  us  circled  round 
them  and  closed  in  on  them.  Where  ever  we  went 
the  deer  were  nearly  as  plentiful  as  tho  fish  in  the 
lake,  and  were  quite  gentle  but  we  never  killed 
more  than  we  wanted  to  eat. 

We  camped  in  a  nice  grove  of  long-leaf  pines 
which  grew  right  down  to  the  valley,  and  called  the 
place  Pine  Creek ;  it  is  known  as  Pine  Creek  to  this 
day.  Here  we  picketed  about  half  of  our  horses, 
hobbled  the  rest  and  built  some  nice  big  fires.  All 
of  a  sudden  several  of  our  horses  snorted  an-I 
stampeded,  running  up  the  creek.  Our  ropes  held 
fifteen  animals  I  think.  The  night  was  dark,  and 
as  we  had  not  been  up  the  creek  we  let  them  go 
till  morning.  We  knew  there  was  another  camp 
or  tribe  of  Indians  down  there,  somewhere,  but  not 
having  seen  any  signs  of  them,  we  did  not  expect 
to  see  them  till  next  day.  Some  of  their  scouts 
or  guards,  however,  were  out. 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  329 

linn  ii mill Illlllllll inn t  mum  iiiiiiiiiiiiiini  ii  111:11111  mum mi  1 1  ii  ilium 

We  put  our  fires  out  and  all  laid  flat  on  the 
ground.  It  made  old  Poga.-neab  so  mad,  Tabiona 
said,  that  he  swore  at  them  He  and  his  son  went 
out  on  the  trail  and  were  gone  about  an  hour,  talk- 
ing loud,  telling  the  Indians  to  come  in  the  morning. 

We  all  rested  next  day  and  found  our  horses 
two  or  three  miles  up  the  creek.  When  the  Indians 
came  in,  we  gave  them  presents  and  made  peace  with 
them.  Their  squaws  brought  us  forty  nice  trout 
that  they  had  caught  in  their  willow  traps.  The 
name  of  their  chief  was  Angewetimpi.  We  noticed 
quite  a  difference  in  the  Indians  of  the  two  tribes, 
though  they  lived  only  forty  to  sixty  miles  apart. 
Next  day  we  started  up  Pine  Creek  through  timber 
and  grass  and  saw  lots  of  deer  which  were  quite 
tame.  About  sun-down  we  crossed  a  divide  and 
came  into  a  nice  little  flat  where  the  water  ran 
down  into  Grass  Valley,  as  we  learned  later.  We 
were  just  going  to  camp  for  the  night,  when  we  saw 
an  old  coyote  with  three  young  ones.  We  gave  chase 
and  caught  the  little  ones,  cut  their  ears  and  tails  off 
short,  tied  a  paper  collar  around  one's  neck  and 
turned  them  loose.  We  named  that  stream  Coyote 
It  still  retains  that  name  and  there  is  a  settlement 
there  now  by  that  name.  Next  day  we  went  south 
on  to  the  Boulder  Mountain,  passing  through  big  long 
leaf  pine  timber.  We  also  saw  springs  and  meadows 
and  lots  of  deer,  chickens,  etc.  In  two  dnys  we 
reached  the  head  of  the  east  fork  of  Escalanto  creek, 
now  called  Potato  Valley.  Here  we  found  a  small 
band  of  Indians  and  after  making  peace  with  them, 
we  came  down  the  river  and  went  up  Grass  Valley  to 
the  Cedar  grove,  just  below  the  present  site  of  Burr- 


330  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

llllli mil Illllllllltlllllllllll I  nun  1 1 i  illinium  I  in  I Illllllllllll mil 

ville,  where  we  met  the  Fish  Lake  tribe  of  Indians. 

We  stopped  there  a  day  in  council  with  the  In- 
dians ;  the  next  day  we  went  back  to  Prattville,  and 
then  returned  to  our  homes. 

When  the  result  of  this  trip  was  reported  to 
President  Brigham  Young  the  result  was  that  Bish- 
hop  Albert  K.  Thurber  and  George  W.  Bean  were 
immediately  called  to  settle  in  Grass  Valley  and  as- 
sist the  Indians  who  would  gather  there  to  culti- 
vate the  arts  of  peace  and  industry. 

At  the  time  of  the  meeting  July  1st,  1873, 
a  heavy  snow  storm  came  up  which  was  a  reminder 
that  we  were  in  the  near  vicinty  of  the  top  of  the 
rim  of  the  Basin,  five  or  six  miles  distant.  The  In- 
dian talk  was  highly  satisfactory  to  all  parties,  and 
the  promise  made  by  the  natives  has  been  exceed- 
ingly well  kept  ever  since. 

In  the  spring  of  1874,  (about  April  12th),  these 
men  with  some  of  their  sons  and  some  others  in- 
cluding the  noted  Porter  Rockwell  commenced 
operations  in  Grass  Valley.  Among  the  others 
who  came  into  the  valley  were  Tom  and  Billy  Mc- 
Carthy, James  H.  Clinger,  Aaron  and  Dave  Dan- 
iels from  Provo,  a  man  by  name  of  Prator  who  had 
a  family  and  a  few  others  who  took  up  ranches.  We 
put  up  a  lot  of  hay  that  summer. 

THREE  NAVAJO  INDIANS  KILLED  IN  GRASS 
VALLEY. 

That  fall  four  Navajoe  Indians  came  into  the 
valley  to  trade  blankets  for  horses  with  the  Grass 
Valley  Indians.  While  in  Grass  Valley,  It  was  re- 
ported, they  had  killed  a  calf  belonging  to  the  Me- 


INDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS  331 

Carthys  and  trouble  arose.  Just  as  they  were  leaving 
they  called  at  McCarty's  cabin  sullen  and  saucy.  The 
ooys  who  were  getting  breakfast  motioned  for  the 
Indians  to  go.  The  boys  guns  were  all  in  one  cor- 
ner of  the  cabin,  and  the  Indians  who  got  between 
them  and  their  guns,  now  motioned  for  the  Ooys 
to  go.  The  boys  wont  out  to  the  corral  and  Liable 
to  plan  what  was  best  to  do  and  in  the  meantime 
the  Indians  ate  the  boys  breakfast.  Mr.  Clinger 
had  come  to  the  cabin  riding  a  fine  horse,  which 
he  tied  to  the  fence  just  before  the  Indians  came. 
Though  the  Indians  were  in  possession  of  the  boys 
guns  there  was  no  ammunition  the  boys  carried  that 
in  their  belts  and  pockets.  The  boys  finally  tied  up 
a  large  bundle  of  hay  in  their  lasso's  and  started  to 
roll  it  toward  the  house.  The  Indians  got  scared  and 
made  a  run,  two  of  them  getting  on  Clinger 's  horse, 
and  the  other  two  taking  their  best  horses.  The 
boys  got  their  guns  and  started  to  shoot,  killing  the 
two  on  the  Indian  ponies  not  far  off.  The  others 
on  Clinger 's  horse  got  away.  The  boys  saddled  up 
fresh  horses  and  followed  the  Indians  down  the  val- 
ley. After  getting  quite  close  they  killed  one  In- 
dian and  wounded  the  other  as  well  as  the  horse. 
The  wounded  Indian  left  the  horse  and  went  up  a 
rough  canyon,  as  it  was  getting  dark  the  boys  re- 
turned to  their  cabin. 

The  wounded  Indian  was  twenty-one  days  get- 
tng  home,  eating  anything  he  could  catch,  on  the 
way,  as  he  had  no  matches  to  make  a  fire.  As 
word  soon  came  that  the  Navajoes  were  coming  to 
kill  the  whites.  All  the  whites  left  Grass  Valley, 
except  Praitor  and  Family,  Aaron  Daniels,  G-.  T. 


332  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

HIIII lllliililllllilliliilii iiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiililllilllllillllllllll iniiimmiiiiiiMiii lllllllllllllill 

Bean  and  E.  P.  Bean.  We  had  to  stay  to  feed  the 
stock.  The  Utes  who  were  friendly  said  they  would 
take  care  of  us.  We  wintered  in  the  valley  all 
right  till  we  run  out  of  salt.  We  were  snowed  in 
and  it  took  three  days  on  horse  back  to  get  to 
Glenwood. 

UTAH  INDIAN  WAR  VETERANS  ORGANIZE 
AT  SPRINGVILLE. 

In  the  afternoon  of  July  4,  1893,  a  few  of  the 
veterans  of  the  Black  Hawk  War,  met  upon  the 
public  square  at  Springville  and  talked  over  the 
old  troubulous  war  times  and  it  was  there  agreed  to 
have  a  re-union  of  the  Black  Hawk  warriors,  their 
families  and  friends,  sometime  during  the  ensuing 
winter.  The  prime  movers  in  the  affair  were  George 
Harrison,  Edwin  Lee,  Joseph  M.  Westwood,  Albert 
Hanner,  Francis  Beardall  and  Walter  Wheeler. 
Another  meeting  was  held  January  1, 1894,  at  which 
in  addition  to  the  above  named,  there  were  present 
Thomas  A.  Brown,  Eliel  S.  Curtis  and  Samuel  Bulk- 
ley,  and  it  wTas  there  arranged  to  invite  all  the  com- 
rades of  the  Black  Hawk  war  residing  in  the  county 
to  meet  at  the  Reynold's  hall,  January  24th,  1904, 
for  a  grand  ball  and  picnic.  A  local  society  was 
organized  about  the  same  time  called  the  "  Spring- 
ville Comrades  of  the  Black  Hawk  War."  The 
first  captain  was  J.  M.  Westwood  and  Thomas  A. 
Brown  was  Adjutant  and  Quartermaster.  From  the 
local  Springville  organization  evolved  the  state  or- 
ganization, known  as  the  "Utah  Indian  War  Veter- 
ans Association"  under  whose  auspices  the  great 
encampment  was  held  in  (1900).  Joseph  M.  West- 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  333 

wood  was  made  Commander-in-chief,  and  Thomas  A. 
Brown,  adjutant  and  quartermaster  of  this  organiza- 
tion. During  the  previous  year  the  ' t  Home  Guards  ' 
and  "Walker  and  Tintic  War  Veterans"  held  re- 
ceptions, balls  and  feasts,  which  were  patronized  and 
looked  forward  to  as  events  to  be  prized  for  their 
social  and  enlivening  characters. 

On  the  25th  day  of  January,  1894,  the  Black 
Hawk  War  Veterans  held  their  first  re-union,  at  the 
Reynolds  Hall  at  Springville,  commencing  at  two 
o  'clock,  p.  m.  and  continued,  with  an  interval  for  sup- 
per until  4  o'clock  a.  m.  next  day. 

There  were  one  hundred  an-l  eleven  veterans 
present  from  various  parts  of  the  county. 
On  the  arrival  of  the  visiting  delegations  at  Spring- 
ville they  were  met  with  sleighs,  under  the  direction 
of  George  Harrison,  and  taken  to  the  homes  of  the 
Springville  comrades,  where  old  acquaintances  were 
revived  and  stories  of  the  war  times  recounted.  At 
2  o'clock  p.  m.  order  was  called  by  Captain  F.  P. 
Whitmore  and  the  Springville  comrades  opened  with 
a  song,  entitled  "The  Black  Hawk  War."  F.  C. 
Boyer  made  an  eloquent  speech  of  welcome.  At  6 
o'clock,  p.  m.,  the  supper  hour  arrived.  A  tent  was 
pitched  outside  and  a  fire  kept  burning,  to  remind 
all  of  the  early  camping  days.  At  intervals  be- 
tweor  dances,  speeches  were  made  by  Orson  Croer, 
of  Spanish  Fork,  an  original  poem  was  recited  by 
Milando  Pratt,  and  Albert  Jones  sang  an  old-time 
song,  composed  during  the  Sanpete  campaign  of 
1866-67.  Levi  N.  Kendall,  a  Utah  Pioneer,  made  re- 
marks and  Colonel  Page  of  Payson,  recounted  some 
incidents  of  the  war.  Benjamin  Driggs  told  about 


334  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

campaigning  in  Sanpete;  D.  C.  Johnson  told  of  the 
fight  upon  the  Diamond  and  the  gallant  ride  of 
Noakes,  Curtis  and  Stewart;  John  Tanner  of  Pay- 
son  told  how  he  got  out  of  a  certain  scrape  at  Nephi ; 
B.  W.  Brown  narrated  his  experiences  at  the  fight  at 
Gravelly  Ford,  in  Sevier  County,  etc.  Thus  with 
music  and  song  the  first  happy  reunion  of  the  In- 
dian fighters  of  Utah  passed  into  history.  Since  then 
the  reunions  have  been  held  annually,  also  a  mid- 
winter dance  and  festival. 

All  the  counties  which  furnished  assistance  dur- 
ing the  war  have  been  organized  into  departments 
of  the  organization,  and  most  all  the  towns  and  cities 
have  had  their  local  posts. 

Local  and  State  camp-fires  and  reunions  have 
been  held,  which  have  kept  the  fire  of  fraternal 
friendship  burning. 

Through  the  efforts  of  Commander  J.  M.  West- 
wood  the  organizations  have  been  kept  alive.  I  do 
not  know  of  another  man,  who  would  have  continued 
for  twenty-five  years  or  more  to  keep  in  touch  with 
the  organization  and  lead  it  as  long  as  he  has  done, 
and  I  verily  believe  that  if  this  organization  had 
not  existed  the  Black  Hawk  Indian  War  Veterans 
services  would  not  have  been  recognized  by  the  Fe- 
deral Government,  nor  pensions  granted.  I  feel 
that  we,  as  Indian  War  Veterans,  owe  him  our  sin- 
cere gratitude  as  well  as  those  who  have  stood  by 
him,  of  whom  I  will  mention  George  Harrison  and 
Moroni  L.  Pratt. 

We  have  held  three  State  encampments,  namely: 
first  at  Ephraim,  Sanpete  County,  the  second  at 
Heber  flity,  Wasatch  County,  August  12th  to  Intl'., 
1911,  the  3rd  at  Springville,  Utah  County,  August 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  335 

20th  to  23rd,  1912,  and  twenty-four  annual  camp- 
fires  have  been  held  in  Utah  County. 

Camp-fires  have  also  been  held  in  other  coun- 
ties in  the  State  where  sufficient  veterans  reside. 
This  year,  A.  D.,  1918,  the  State  Organization  is  com- 
posed of:  Joseph  M.  Westwood  of  Springville,  Utah 
County,  Commander-in-Chief ;  Rudolphus  N.  Bennett 
of  Mount  Pleasant,  Sanpete  County,  First  Vice- 
Commander;  Joel  Andrew  Johnson  of  Provo,  Utah 
County,  Second  Vice-Commander  and  Peter  C.  Peter- 
son of  Ephraim,  Sanpete  County,  Third  Vice-Com- 
mander; Peter  Gottfredson  of  Springville,  Utah  Co., 
as  Adjutant-General,  Israel  E.  Clegg,  Sr.,  of  Spring- 
ville, Quartermaster  General;  George  Harrison  of 
Springville,  Chorister,  and  Henry  Moyle  of  Alpine, 
Chaplain ;  Dr.  Seymour  B.  Young  of  Salt  !  ^.ke  City 
is  commander  of  the  Salt  Lake  Department;  Judge 
John  E.  Booth  of  Provo,  Commander  of  Utah  County 
Department;  Rudolphus  N.  Bennett  of  Mount  Plea- 
sant, Commander  of  Sanpete  County  Department, 
and  Orson  P.  Lee  of  Monroe,  Commander  of  Sevier 
County  Department,  James  D.  Shanks,  Commander, 
Wasatch  County  Department.  Some  other  counties 
have  local  posts. 

REUNION  AT  MANTI,  JOHN  LOWRY  STATES 
CAUSE  OF  BLACK  HAWK  WAR. 

The  occasion  of  the  present  re-union  being  op- 
portune, in  order  to  correct  an  erroneous  impression 
that  has  become  wide-spread  as  to  what  precipated 
the  Black-Hawk  War.  I  take  this  opportunity  or 
means  of  placing  the  facts  before  the  world. 

But  first  let  me  state  that  I  came  here  as  a 
pioneer,  and  took  part  in  the  first  battle  fought  with 


336  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

llllltllllllllllllllllllllllllltHltlll iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiimmiiiiimiiiiiiiiimimmliiiiiiiiiiiMmmiiiiii 

£he  Indians  under  command  of  Col.  John  Scott.  And 
I  -have  in  one  way  or  another  been  associated  with 
almost  every  Indian  trouble  in  the  early  history  of 
this  region.  I  served  as  Indian  interpreter  for  years 
in  Manti,  and  have  passed  through  many  close  places 
in  dealing  with  the  red  men.  At  times  having  been 
surrounded  by  them  when  I  knew  that  one  word, 
look,  or  action  would  have  cost  me  my  life  in  the 
event  that  I  showed  fear.  A  man  who  betrayed  cow- 
ardice might  be  killed  without  any  consideration, 
but  a  brave  man  was  always  approached  with  con- 
sideration. Among  them  were  some  strange  tradi- 
tions and  peculiar  notions  in  relation  to  their  spirit- 
ual life,  they  served  Satan,  not  God,  the  idea  being 
to  placate  the  power  bent  on  doing  injury.  The  el- 
der Brother  (God)  was  good,  and  never  harmed  any- 
one, but  Satan  was  served  through  fear.  For  in- 
stance, should  a  white  man  write  the  name  of  an 
Indian  on  a  slip  of  paper  and  give  it  out  that  it  would 
be  sent  to  Satan,  the  Indian  would  sacrifice  his  life 
if  necessary  to  get  possession  of  it.  In  1864  a 
small  band  of  Indians  were  wintering  at  Gunnison, 
many  of  them  died,  and  they  found  reason  for  their 
trouble  in  conclusion  that  the  Mormons  had  written 
their  names  and  sent  them  to  Satan.  And  he  had 
caused  death  to  come  upon  them.  So  in  their  coun- 
cils they  were  directed  by  their  Chief  to  stop  the 
sickness  among  them  by  killing  (Mormons)  in  re- 
taliation. In  February  Black  Hawk  informed  me 
what  the  Indians  were  going  to  do  when  the  snow 
went  off."  They  would  kill  the  Mormons  and  eat 
Mormon  beef.  I  immediately  went  to  my  Bishop 
with  the  information.  He  thought,  as  did  many 
others,  that  it  was  just  Indian  talk  and  amounted  to 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  337 

nothing;  but  the  Indians  told  me  several  times  what 
they  intended  to  do,  and  so  I  went  the  second  time 
to  the  Bishop,  My  story  was  received  by  his  saying 
"There  are  not  enough  of  them."  I  then  told  him 
that  it  did  not  matter  how  few  the  number  as  long 
as  they  entertained  the  idea  that  it  was  the  wish  of 
Satan,  they  would  accomplish  their  purpose  regard- 
less of  results  to  them.  Shortly  after  I  learned  they 
were  killing  cattle.  I  had  some  cattle  on  the  range 
myself,  and  in  my  search  for  them  I  found  the  skull 
of  an  ox  which  I  had  owned.  I  operated  a  grist  mill 
at  the  time  and  the  Indians  would  come  there  for 
grinding,  and  I  remember  that  it  was  about  the  sixth 
of  March  that  I  informed  them  that  I  had  found  the 
skull  of  my  ox  and  asked  them  why  they  had  killed 
it,  as  I  had  always  been  a  friend  to  them,  as  had  the 
Mormon  people,  generally.  I  talked  to  them  in  such 
a  way  that  they  agreed  to  pay  me  for  the  animal 
which  had  been  killed  by  fetching  me  a  horse,  and 
they  did  so  next  day.  I  agreed  to  meet  with  them  at 
Manti  about  the  eighth  of  April  and  talk  the  matter 
over  of  their  killing  our  cattle.  Accordngly  the 
council  took  place.  It  appeared  the  difficulty  would 
be  settled  amicably,  but  a  certain  young  Indian  pre- 
sent whose  father  had  died  during  the  winter  contin- 
ued to  halloo  and  make  demonstrations,  saying  that 
he  would  (eat  Mormon  beef)  and  kill  "Mormons" 
when  the  snow  went  off.  I  told  him  a  time  or  two 
to  stop  and  permit  me  to  finish  my  talk.  Just  then 
some  one  called  out  "lookout,  he  is  getting  his  ar- 
rows!" I  rode  up  to  him  and  turned  him  off  his 
horse,  and  pulled  him  to  the  ground.  The  bystanders 
interferred  and  we  separated.  I  had  fully  exposed 
what  they  intended  to  do.  The  next  day  as  our 


338  INDIAN  DEPKEDATIONS 


people  were  out  hunting  cattle  a  man  named  Peter 
Ludvigsen  was  killed.  I  have  always  taken  the  posi- 
tion that  that  talk  with  the  Indians  "showed  their 
Ijand."  I  believe  they  started  hostilities  sooner  than 
they  would  have  done  had  not  the  incident  above 
mentioned  occurred.  But  the  trouble  would  have 
come  just  the  same.  I  am  confident  many  lives  were 
saved,  because  it  put  the  people  on  their  guard.  The 
chief,  Black  Hawk  told  Charles  Whitlock  of  Eph- 
raim,  the  same  thing  as  had  been  told  me  concerning 
the  intention  of  the  Indians.  These  are  facts  as  to 
the  starting  of  the  Black  Hawk  Indian  depredations. 
In  those  early  days  its  was  at  times  imperative  that 
harsh  measures  should  be  used.  Hamilton  killed  an 
Indian  dog,  and  whipped  some  Indians  too,  but  that 
didn't  start  a  war;  I  threw  an  Indian  out  of  my 
house  and  kicked  him  off  the  place,  and  no  war 
came  of  it.  We  had  to  do  these  things,  or  be  run 
over  by  them.  It  was  a  question  of  supremacy 
between  the  white  man  and  the  Indian. 

I  have  patiently  borne  the  stigma  placed  upon 
me,  for  I  knew  the  facts,  and  to  those  who  still 
persist  in  looking  upon  me  as  guilty  of  precipitat- 
ing the  Black  Hawk  War  I  will  say  this,  that  I  ap- 
peal from  their  decision  to  a  higher  court — Our 
Creator,  who  will  ultimately  judge  all  men. 

Signed,  John  Lowry. 

Stamped  with — Commissioners  of  Indian  War 
Eecords  Seal. 

Indians  in  Grass  Valley,  Piute  County,  Utah 

did  not  want  to  go  to  the  Uintah  Reservation  to  live. 

At  the  time  the  U.  S.  Government  set  apart  the 

Uintah  reservation  as  a  home  for  the  Utah  Indians 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  339 

HIIIIIIIII iiiiimmiiiniii iiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiii IIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIHIIIIIIIIIIIIIW 

some  Indians  living  in  Thistle  Valley,  Sanpete 
County,  and  a  few  in  Grass  Valley,  Piute  County, 
were  very  much  opposed  to  going  to  live  permanently 
on  the  Uintali  Reservation.  Soldiers,  Indian  Agents 
and  white  traders  were  not  esteemed  by  these  In- 
dians and  they  so  stated. 

President  Brigham  Young  instructed  President 
Albert  K.  Thurber  and  George  W.  Bean'to  visit 
these  Indians  and  take  them  under  their  watchcare. 
Some  of  the  Indians  in  Thistle  Valley  moved  to 
Grass  Valley ;  some  also  came  up  from  Escalante  and 
others  came  over  from  Wayne  County  to  live  at 
Greenwich  in  Grass  Valley,  Piute  County,  Utah. 
After  the  death  of  A.  K.  Thurber  and  George  W. 
Bean  about  A.  D.  1900,  William  H.  Seegmiller,  then 
president  of  the  Sevier  Stake  of  Zion,  in  reflect- 
ing over  the  situation  of  the  Grass  Valley  Indians, 
concluded  that  in  years  to  come  the  Indians  there 
might  feel  that  as  their  friends  we  had  neglected 
them  and  did  not  inform  them  of  the  advantages 
that  they  might  obtain  in  lands,  money,  blankets, 
clothing,  farming  implements,  cattle,  horses,  educa- 
tion, etc.,  should  they  go  to  the  Uintah  Indian  Reser- 
vation. Elder  Francis  M.  Lyman,  an  Apostle,  who 
had  under  his  care  these  Indians  was  consulted  about 
the  matter,  and  of  the  welfare  of  these  Indians,  he 
consulted  with  Jos.  L.  Rawlins,  then  a  Senator  from 
Utah  in  Congress,  1893  to  1903  who  presented  the 
matter  to  the  Committee  of  Indian  affairs  in  Con- 
gress, who  informed  him  that  the  Indians  not  on 
the  reservation  in  Utah  might  still  be  enrolled  with 
the  Uintah  Indians  and  receive  the  same  advantages 
as  those  at  Uintah  had  received,  an  instructed  Presi- 
dent Seegmiller  to  secure  the  services  of  the  best 


340  INDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS 


iniiiiimiiiiiiiiii mi 


Indian  interpreter  he  could  get,  and  with  him  go 
over  to  Grass  Valley  and  clearly  inform  the  Indians 
there  of  the  benefits  that  would  come  to  them,  if 
they  would  go  to  Uintah  and  enroll  themselves  with 
the  Indians  there.  President  Seegmiller  had  George 
Hatch  informed  the  Indians  that  he  and  Archibald  W 
Buchanan  would  be  over  on  a  certain  date  and  want- 
ed a  meeting  with  them,  as  he  had  important  mat- 
ters to  present  to  them  for  consideration. 

The  Indians  assembled  in  the  stack  yard  of 
John  Hatch  close  to  the  Indian  village  near  Green- 
wich. The  Indians  were  sullen  and  said,  they  were 
members  of  the  Mormon  Church  and  why  did  we — , 
their  old  friends,  want  to  drive  them  away  to 
the  Reservation?  Did  the  Mormons  want  to  get 
their  land  from  them  and  make  homes  for 
themselves?  They  would  rather  starve  here  and 
eat  dirt  than  go  to  the  Reservation  and  have  their 
squaws  defiled  and  their  generations  cut  off  by  de- 
cease, than  to  get  money,  land,  blankets,  etc.,  by 
going  to  the  Reservation.  They  threw  away  (tarab- 
bied)  their  Mormon  friends,  but  would  not  go  to 
the  Reservation. 

Interpreter  Buchanan  then  told  them  we  did 
not  want  to  remove  them  to  the  Reservation;  we 
wanted  to  be  their  friends  as  always,  and  for  them 
to  choose  whether  they  would  go  or  remain. 

If  they  wanted  to  go  to  the  Reservation  and 
could  see  a  benefit  in  it,  well  and  good,  but  if  not, 
to  feel  that  we  were  their  friends  and  would  not 
force  them  to  go. 

President  Seegmiller  spoke  to  the  Indians  in 
a  kind  and  fatherly  way  and  said,  they  were  to 
choose  their  course  whether  to  go  or  stay,  and  in 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  341 

time  to  come  he  did  not  want  them  to  reproach  their 
"Mormon"  friends  for  not  informing  them  "what 
they  could  get  by  going  to  the  Reservation.  He  de- 
sired that  they  should  assimilate  the  conduct  of  their 
"Mormon"  friends,  quit  their  begging  and  farm 
industriously,  fence  their  farms,  build  houses,  raise 
horses,  cattle,  hogs,  sheep,  etc.,  make  gardens,  go 
to  meetings  on  the  Sabbath  day,  send  their  child- 
ren to  the  District  School  and  to  the  Sabbath  school, 
and  thus  become  independent  and  sustain  them- 
selves. 

After  this  was  made  clear  to  them  by  the  visit- 
ors to  their  understandings,  they  seemed  pleased, 
took  us  back  (cotch  tarriby)  to  be  their  friends  al- 
ways, a  great  shaking  hands  was  had  and  we  and 
the  Indians  were  all  (tic-a-boo)  friends  and  have 
been  ever  since. 

GRASS  VALLEY  INDIANS  IN  1914. 

Peter  Gottfredson,  who  has  been  collecting  the 
history  of  the  Indians  in  Utah,  writes  interestingly 
of  a  recent  visit  to  the  Grass  Valley  Indians  at  Koo- 
sharem,  Mr.  Gottfredson  says  in  part : 

"I  visited  their  Sunday  school  class.  It  con- 
sists of  about  twenty  members.  The  teacher  is  Louis 
Hatch,  who  is  sustained  as  missionary  to  the  Indians 
by  the  authorities  of  Sevier  Stake.  He  is  the  son 
of  George  A.  Hatch,  who  occupied  the  position  of 
Indian  Missionary  for  many  years  and  who  was 
greatly  beloved  by  the  Indians.  The  elder  Hatch 
died  four  years  ago.  At  his  death  the  Indians 
grieved  very  much,  many  of  them  crying  at  his 


342  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

in  i  mini  ur  ii  in  ill  i  mi  in iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiii MMMIIMIIIMMMMIMIIIIMMIMIIMIMIIIIIIIIIMMMII 

funeral.  It  was  at  their  own  request  that  a  son  of 
George  A.  Hatch  was  appointed  to  have  charge 
of  them. 

Wappus,  a  venerable  Indian  of  Koosharem, 
says  that  he  was  twelve  years  old  when  Brigham 
Young  and  his  company  came  to  Utah.  Wappus  is 
now  blind.  Many  Indians  lose  their  eyesight  due 
to  the  fact,  it  is  said,  that  they  are  in  the  smoke 
of  their  wickiups  so  much  of  the  time.  When  a 
boy,  Wappus  went  with  his  father  to  see  the  white 
men.  He  was  formerly  of  Thistle  Valley,  but  sold 
his  farm  there  and  placed  his  money  in  a  Richfield 
Bank. 

"A  much  older  Indian  than  Wappus,  is  "Chick- 
ney  shootem"  or  "Old  Tom,"  as  he  is  otherwise 
known,  he  is  the  oldest  Indian  in  the  colony  and  is 
said  to  be  more  than  one  hundred  snows." 

There  are  about  forty  Indians  in  the  settlement. 
Some  of  them  own  their  land,  holding  patent,  and 
paying  taxes,  others  have  filed  on  land,  but  have  not 
yet  proved  up  their  claims.  Some  of  the  Indians 
own  horses,  cattle,  wagons,  buggies  and  farm  ma- 
chinery. Last  fall  eight  sewing  machines  were 
purchased  by  the  Indians  there.  A  number  of  the 
younger  squaws  are  quite  expert  with  the  machines. 

The  Indians  of  Koosharem  do  not  like  to  talk 
of  the  Indian  troubles  of  early  days,  and  they  don't 
think  that  the  re-unions  of  the  Indian  war  veterans 
are  a  good  thing.  They  say  their  people  have  quit 
fighting,  are  living  as  the  whites  do,  and  that  the 
old  troubles  should  be  forgotten.  Nor  do  the  In- 
dians want  to  go  to  the  Reservation.  A  few  days 
ago  "Indian  Pete"  asked  me  why  I  was  writing 
about  the  Indians.  I  told  him  that  perhaps  I  would 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  343 

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIMI i  mi  ii  i  ii  in ii  n  1 1  ii iiiiiiiiimiiiiimmmiiiiMimmiiiiiii in 

make  a  book,  and  he  seemed  to  fear  that  my  pur- 
pose was  to  complain  against  the  Indians,  so  that 
they  would  have  to  leave  their  farms  and  go  to  the 
Reservation  to  live.  I  am  hoping  to  gain  their 
confidence,  so  that  I  shall  be  able  to  get  more  infor- 
mation about  them.  I  have  arranged  to  get  some 
photographs  of  them." 

KANOSH  KQOSHAREM  INDIANS  BEAR  DANCE. 

Peter  Gottfredson.  well  know  compiler  of  In- 
dian war  history,  gives  the  following  account  of  a 
unique  celebration  recently  held  by  the  Kanosh  and 
Koosharem  Indians: 

The  Kanosh  Indians  under  Chief  Andrew  Hong- 
kub,  and  the  Koosharem  Indians  under  Chief  Walker 
Ammon,  celebrated  a  ten  days  "Bear  Dance"  re- 
union between  Richfield  and  Elsinore,  Sevier  County 
from  March  7th  to  17th.  The  legend  on  which  the 
bear  dance  is  based  is  an  old  one.  It  refers  to  two 
Indians  who  went  hunting  in  the  mountains.  While 
they  were  out  a  heavy  storm  came  up  and  they  got 
lost.  In  roaming  around  they  ran  upon  a  bear's 
den.  The  bear  was  away  and  the  two  Indians  sought 
shelter  in  the  cave.  Being  hungry,  they  helped 
themselves  to  the  nuts  and  other  provisions  which 
bruin  had  stored  up  for  the  winter. 

"One  Indian  decided  to  remain  in  the  den  the 
rest  of  the  winter,  but  the  other  found  his  way  back 
to  the  village.  The  bear  returned  to  her  den  and 
made  friends  witn  the  Indian  who  was  there. 

"In  the  spring,  when  the  snow  was  gone  and 
the  grass  was  getting  green  the  Indians  in  the  vil- 
lage went  out  in  search  of  their  brother  who  had 


344  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

been  gone  so  long.  They  came  to  the  cave,  where 
they  saw  the  Indian,  the  she  bear  and  a  cub,  danc- 
ing joyously  at  the  return  of  spring." 

"As  observed  now,  the  bear  dance  celebration 
is  in  part  is  a  religious  rite  to  show  thankfulness  that 
another  winter  has  been  survived,  that  summer  is 
again1  at  hand  and  all  is  well.  It  is  a  custom  for 
friendly  tribes  to  come  together  to  renew  friend- 
ship and  cordiality." 

"In  the  bear  dance  the  squaws  form  in  lines 
opposite  the  musicians,  two  by  two  holding  hands. 
With  a  chant,  accompanied  by  the  instrumental 
music,  the  lines  step  forward  four  steps,  then  the 
same  distance  backward,  ending  each  advance  and 
retreat  with  a  kind  of  springing  movement.  One  of 
of  the  squaws  from  each  pair  step  out  and  touches 
a  male  Indian,  who  becomes  her  partner  in  the 
dance.  Then  she  goes  back  and  joins  the  other 
squaw,  repeating  the  advance  and  retreat  steps  as 
before.  The  partner  next  steps  forward  and  per- 
forms a  chase  in  front  of  the  women.  Then  he  places 
a  hand  on  the  shoulder  of  either  squaw,  all  the  while 
keeping  step  with  the  music.  The  squaws  separate 
and  let  the  buck  into  line  with  them  locking'arms,  the 
male  with  his  back  towards  the  music,  the  forward 
and  backward  steps  are  repeated  and  kept  up  until 
the  music  stops.  It  is  considered  a  breach  of  man- 
ners for  any  of  the  dancers  to  stop  before  the  music 
ceases. 

"The  orchestra  consists  of  four  Indians,  a  tin 
tub,  bottom  upward,  and  notched  sticks.  Each  In- 
dian places  one  end  of  a  notched  stick  on  the  tub, 
to  provide  resonance,  and  see-saw  up  and  down  along 
the  notches  with  another.  The  dancing  is  kept  up 


INDIAN  DEPKEDATIONS  345 

each  afternoon  and  each  night  until  towards  mid- 
night. There  is  not  much  moving  around  camp  dur- 
ing the  forenoon. 

"  Seventy-six  Indians  took  part  in  the  Kanosh- 
Koosharern  celebration,  and  hundreds  of  visitors 
went  to  the  camp  and  witnessed  the  dance. 

"After  a  good  deal  of  persuasion,  the  chiefs  per- 
mitted photographer  R.  D.  Adams  to  take  a  number 
of  pictures.  Most  Indans  are  shy  of  a  camera. 

BILL  AWARDING  MEDALS  TO   INDIAN 
WAR  VETERANS. 

An  act  providing  for  a  Medal  of  Honor  for  each 
of  the  Indian  War  Veterans  for  actual  service  in 
suppressing  Indian  hostilities  in  Utah  during  the 
years  1850  to  1872  inclusive. 

Sec.  1. — The  Governor  and  Secretary  are  here- 
by authorized  to  procure  a  Medal  for  each  of  the 
Veterans  of  the  Indian  Wars  who  actually  served 
in  suppressing  Indian  hostilities  in  Utah  during  the 
years  1850  to  1872  inclusive. 

Sec.  2. — The  design  of  said  Medal  shall  be  such 
as  may  be  determined  upon  by  the  Governor  and 
Secretary  of  State.  And  shall  be  made  of  Bronze, 
and  shall  be  attached  to  and  suspended  by  a  red, 
white  and  blue  ribbon.  Upon  the  back  of  each  medal 
shall  be  inscribed  the  name  of  the  Veteran  entitled 
to  receive  it,  when  completed  and  at  such  times  as 
may  be  expediant.  And  after  the  presentation  of 
proper  evidence  and  proof  of  actual  service  in  sup- 
pressing Indian  hostilities  between  the  years  1850 
and  1872  inclusive,  by  each  claimant  to  the  Governor 
and  the  Secretary  of  State,  a  medal  shall  be  pre- 


346  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

Illinium  i  mini  1 1  ii  1 1 llMllllinililllll mini lililllllllllllluilllllllllllllllimillllllllllllllllulIN 

sented  to  each  of  said  Indian  War  Veterans.  Or 
in  case  of  his  death  to  his  nearest  relative. 

Sec.  3 — For  the  purpose  of  this  act  is  hereby- 
appropriated  out  of  the  moneys  in  the  State  Treas- 
ury not  otherwise  appropriated  the  sum  of  Five 
Hundred  dollars,  or  as  much  thereof  as  may  be 
necessary.  To  be  disbursed  upon  the  warrant  of  the 
State  Auditor  when  duly  authorized  by  the  State 
Board  of  examiners. 

Approved  this  9th  day  of  March,  A.  D.  1905. 

LEGISLATURE  APPROPRIATES  $50,000.00  TO 
INDIAN  WAR  VETERANS. 

An  act  providing  for  services  rendered  in  the 
Indian  Wars  of  the  Territory  of  Utah. 

And  making  an  appropriation  for  such  services. 

And  providing  for  the  method  of  proving  such 
services,  and  payment  of  said  funds. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of 
Utah. 

Sec.  1st. — That  the  veterans  who  performed  ac- 
tual service  in  any  of  the  Indian  wars  of  the  terri- 
tory of  Utah,  in  the  regular  Militia  of  the  Territory, 
or  if  he  be  dead,  then  his  widow  shall  receive  from 
the  State  of  Utah,  compensation  as  follows: 

1st.  For  expeditionary  service  while  in  the 
field  away  from  home,  (a)  Cavalry,  Infantry.  Bug- 
lers, Teamsters  and  Musicians,  at  the  rate  of  forty 
dollars  ($40.00)  per  n^onth.  (b)  For  use  and  risk 
of  horse  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  dollars  ($15.00)  per 
month. 

2nd.     Home  guard  service.     Cavalrymen  and  In- 
fantrymen at  the  rate  of  twenty  dollars  ($20.00)  per 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  347 

HiiiiiiiiiiiiittitiiiiMiiiiiiiiiitmniiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiin 

month.  The  foregoing  schedule  for  services  shall 
govern  without  regard  to  the  rank  in  which  the  per- 
son served.  Provided  that  no  person  shall  be  paid 
for  services  for  which  he  has  heretofore  received 
payment.  And  provided  further  that  in  no  case 
shall  payment  be  made  to  any  one  for  a  period  ex- 
ceeding one  month.  And  provided  that  the  provis- 
ions of  this  act  shall  not  apply  to  any  person  who 
has  been  granted  a  pension  from  the  United  States. 
And  provided  further,  that  payments  hereunder  shall 
not  be  held  to  bar  further  payments  in  the  future  for 
services  longer  than  one  month  as  shown  by  the  re- 
cords herein  after  mentioned. 

Sec.  2. — The  affidavits  of  services  in  Indian 
Wars  in  the  Territory  of  Utah  on  file  in  the  office 
of  the  Adjutant  General  of  the  State  of  Utah  shall 
be  deemed  conclusive  proof  of  services  therein  res- 
pectfully mentioned.  Such  affidavits  having  been 
compiled  by  the  Commissioners  of  Indian  War  Rec- 
ords as  authorized  heretofore  by  the  Governor  and 
Legislature  of  the  State  of  Utah. 

1st.  Upon  filing  of  proof  of  identity  by  any 
person  rendering  such  service  with  the  Adjutant 
General.  He  shall  immediately  list  such  person, 
showing  the  amount  due  hereunder. 

At  the  end  of  ninety  days  the  Adjutant  General 
shall  disburse  said  funds  on  a  prorata  basis,  paying 
to  each  his  proportionate  amount  of  the  sum  here- 
by apportioned. 

Sec.  3. — Identification  may  be  made  as  follows : 

1st.  Of  the  rendering  the  service,  By  certifi- 
cate of  such  person  attested  by  two  responsible  wit- 
nesses. 

2nd.  Of  a  widow  of  the  person  rendering  the  ser- 


348  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

illinium  HIM  nun  minium  ii inn llillllllllillllllllllllliiillliilliilitiillMiimiiimiiiMitiitmillllH 

vice  when  the  proof  was  filed  by  the  widow,  The 
certificate  of  said  Widow  attested  by  two  responsi- 
ble witnesses. 

3rd.  Of  a  Widow  of  the  person  rendering  ser- 
vice when  such  person  has  died  since  the  filing  of 
proof  of  service:  By  certificate  of  such  Widow  at- 
tested by  two  responsible  witnesses  or  by  certified 
copy  of  marriage  record  of  the  Widow  to  the  de- 
ceased. 

Sec.  4. — There  is  hereby  appropriated  out  of  any 
money's  in  the  State  Treasury  not  otherwise  ap- 
propriated, the  sum  of  Fifty  Thousand  Dollars.  For 
the  purpose  of  carrying  into  affect  the  provisions  of 
this  act.  The  State  Auditor  shall  draw  his  warrants 
on  the  State  Treasurer  in  favor  of  the  Adjutant- 
General  for  the  sum  hereby  appropriated. 

The  Booth  Bill  asked  for  $321,837.00  to  pay  the 
Veterans  for  services.  Affidavit  of  service  made 
under  the  provisions  of  Chapter  (55)  Laws  of  Utah 
1909. 

1917.     LEGISLATURE  APPROPRIATES  $25,000.00  to 

INDIAN  WAR  VETERANS. 

APPROVED  MARCH  2,  1917. 

H.  B.  No.  33  By  Mr.  Ray 

An  act  providing  for  an  Indian  War  Veterans' 
Fund,  making  an  appropriation  therefor,  and  pro- 
viding for  the  method  of  disbursement  of  said  fund. 
Be  it  enacted  by  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of 
Utah: 

Section  1.  There  is  hereby  created  a  fund  to 
be  known  as  the  Indian  War  Veteran's  fund;  said 
fund  to  consist  of  any  money  appropriated  by  the 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  349 

State  for  the  purpose  set  out  in  this  act,  and  any 
money  appropriated  or  advanced  by  the  Government 
of  the  United  States  for  disbursement  among  Indian 
War  Veterans,  or  persons  herein  mentioned,  and 
any  other  funds  donated  or  acquired  for  said  pur- 
poses. 

Sec.  2.  There  is  hereby  appropriated  from  the 
general  funds  of  the  State,  not  otherwise  appropria- 
ted, the  sum  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  ($25, 
000.00),  to  be  placed  to  the  credit  of  >the  Indian  War 
Veteran's  Fund. 

Sec.  3.  The  State  Board  of  Examiners  is  here- 
by authorized  and  empowered  to  disburse  the  Indian 
War  Veterans '  fund  to  Veterans  who  have  perform- 
ed actual  service  in  any  of  the  Indian  Wars  of  the 
Territory  of  Utah  while  such  veterans  were  mem- 
bers of  the  regular  militia  of  the  Territory,  or  to  the 
wives  or  widows  of  such  veterans,  as  compensa- 
tion for  the  services  of  such  veterans. 

Sec.  4.  The  State  Board  of  Examiners  shall  ex- 
amine into  and  investigate  the  merits  of  the  claim 
of  any  person  applying  for  a  share  of  the  Indian 
War  Veteran's  Fund.  The  findings  of  the  said  State 
Board  of  Examiners  in  regard  to  these  matters  shall 
be  final. 

If,  in  the  opinion  of  the  State  Board  of  Exam- 
iners, any  person  applying  for  a  portion  of  the 
Indian  War  Veterans'  fund  shall  be  entitled  there- 
to, the  State  Board  of  Examiners  shall  determine 
the  amount  to  be  disbursed  to  such  person,  and 
upon  such  determination  the  State  Auditor  shall 
draw  his  warrant  upon  the  State  Treasurer  for  such 
amount  in  favor  of  the  person  so  entitled ;  Provided, 
however,  that  no  disbursement  in  excess  of  the 


350  INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS 

minimum iiiiiiiiiimmimmmiiiimimiiiiiiimmmmiiii imiiimiimmmmmiiimimimiiiii 

amount  of  money  available  in  said  fund  shall  be 
made. 

Sec.  5.  This  Act  shall  take  effect  on  approval. 
Approved  March  2nd.  1917. 

64TH  CONGRESS.  II.  R.  655 

IST  SESSION 

IN  THE  SENATE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 
FEBRUARY  19,  1916. 

Read  twice  and  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Pen- 
sions. 

AN  ACT. 

The  Act  to  pension  the  survivors  of  certain 
Indian  wars  from  January  1, 1859,  to  January,  1891, 
approved  March  4, 1917,  grants  a  pension  of  $20  per 
month  to  surviving  officers  and  enlisted  men,  and 
$12  per  month  to  the  surviving  widows  of  said  of- 
ficers and  enlisted  men,  who  served  in  the  campaign 
in  the  Black  Hawk  Indian  War  in  Utah  from  1835 
to  1867,  inclasjivt. 

The  Smoot  amendment,  which  makes  it  pos- 
sible for  the  Black  Hawk  War  Veterans  to  prove 
their  service  and  grants  them  a  pension  without  pre- 
vious recognition  or  payment  for  said  service  by 
Government,  reads  as  follows: 

' '  That  when  there  is  no  record  of  service  or  pay- 
ment for  same  in  the  War  Department,  the  appli- 
cant may  establish  the  service  by  satisfactory  evi- 
dence from  the  muster  rolls  on  file  in  the  several 
State  or  Territorial  archives :  And  provided  further, 
That  the  want  of  a  certificate  of  discharge  shall 


INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS  351 

not  deprive  any  applicant  of  the  benefits  of  this 
Act." 

That  applicant  for  pension,  must  establish  his 
service,  or  the  service  of  her  husband,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  terms  of  this  amendment.  The  name 
of  the  soldier,  the  name  of  the  company  and  the 
company  and  the  date  and  length  of  service  given  in 
the  application  must  conform  to  the  records  found  in 
the  State  archives.  Provided  that  the  surviving  wid- 
ows of  said  officers  and  enlisted  men  shall  have 
married  said  survivor  prior  to  the  passage  of  this 
Act;  provided,  that  such  widow  has  not  remar- 
ried: Provided  further,  That  if  any  certain  one 
of  said  campaigns  did  not  cover  a  period  of  thirty 
days,  the  provisions  of  this  Act  shall  apply  to  those 
wlio  served  during  the  entire  period  of  said  cam- 
paigns ;  Provided  further,  that  where  there  is  no  rec- 
ord of  enlistment  or  muster  into  the  service  of  the 
United  States  in  any  of  the  wars  mentioned  in  this 
Act,  the  record  of  pay  by  the  United  States  shall 
be  accepted  as  full  and  satisfactory  proof  of  such  en- 
listment and  service :  And  provided  further,  That  all 
contracts  heretofore  made  between  the  beneficiaries 
under  this  Act  and  pension  attorneys  and  claim 
agents  are  hereby  declared  null  and  void. 

Sec.  2.  That  the  period  of  service  performed  by 
beneficiaries  under  this  Act  shall  be  determined  by 
reports  from  the  records  of  the  War  Department, 
where  there  is  such  a  record,  and  by  the  reports 
from  the  records  of  the  Treasury  Department  show- 
ing payment  by  the  United  States  where  there  is 
no  record  of  regular  enlistment  or  muster  into  the 
United  States  military  service. 

Sec.  3.     That  section  forty-seven  hundred  and 


352  IXDIAN  DEPEEDATIONS 

MIIIMIIIMIIIIIIHItlll.lll Illlllllllllllllllll Illllllllllllllllllllllll Illllllllllllll IIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIII 

sixteen  of  the  Revised  Statutes,  relative  to  loyalty 
during  the  Civil  War,  is  hereby  repealed  so  far  as 
the  same  relates  to  this  Act  or  to  pensioners  under 
this  Act. 

Passed  the  House  of  Representatives  February 
16,  1916. 

Attest:  South  Trimble,  Clerk. 

(Approved  March  4th,  1917.) 

(The  Italics  are  Senator  Reed  Smooth's  amend- 
ments.) 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

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This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


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